Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2002. Information in this issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest was prepared under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. Redistribution to all others interested in tech-based economic development is strongly encouraged — please cite the State Science & Technology Institute whenever portions are reproduced or redirected. Any opinions expressed in the Digest do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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REGIONAL MEETINGS PLANNED FOR INPUT ON EPSCoT
Three regional meetings are being scheduled to receive input on the design of the proposed Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT) program. The program is intended to "foster the development of indigenous technology assets in states that traditionally have been under represented in the distribution of federal R&D expenditures."The Department of Commerce's Technology Administration describes EPSCoT as the technology counterpart to the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). It is being designed to bridge the gap between university research and the local economy and develop economic development tools to foster regional technology-based economic growth. It would be a competitive, cost-shared grant program.
Commerce proposes that the following states would be eligible to participate in EPSCoT: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The regional meetings are to determine what activities are currently being conducted in the states to foster technology-based economic growth and how EPSCoT should be structured. One meeting has been scheduled for June 16 in Billings. Meetings in West Virginia and New Orleans, LA will be scheduled shortly and reported in the Digest's Calendar of Events, available at http://www.ssti.org/calendar.htm
For more information on the meetings and the EPSCoT program, contact Marc Cummings at the Department of Commerce's Technology Administration at 202/482-8323.
SSTI CONFERENCE SLATED FOR JUNE 16-17
The State Science and Technology Institute's first conference, "Promoting Economic Growth Through State Science and Technology Programs," will be held June 16-17 in Washington, D.C.The conference will cover topics identified by the states as being of interest, including:
- Creating new capital sources for technology-based companies
- Assessing the economic impact of S&T programs
- Designing and implementing commercialization centers
- Developing and implementing S&T strategic plans, and
- Experiences with self-sufficiency and program privatization
The conference is designed for policy makers, program managers and staff, legislators, advisory board members, and others who are interested in promoting economic growth through the application of science and technology.
For more information on the conference, including a list of speakers, contact the Institute at 614/421-SSTI (7784) or via the Institute's home page at www.ssti.org /conf97.htm
SOUTH CAROLINA ESTABLISHES TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COUNCIL
South Carolina Governor David Beasley has appointed a 17-member Technology Advisory Council. The Council is to examine how South Carolina can attract technology-intensive companies, find strategies to promote high technology jobs and identify specific technologies that are important for other industries.The Council, comprised of 11 private sector and 6 public sector representatives, has committed to submitting a technology plan to the Governor by mid November. Dr. Larry Druffel, president and CEO of the South Carolina Research Authority, serves as the Council's chairman.
NGA AND NASBO RELEASE STATE EXPENDITURES, TRENDS REPORT
The National Governors' Association (NGA) and the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) released the results of the annual Fiscal Survey of States. The report incorporates information gathered by NASBO from January through April 1997, and includes actual figures for fiscal 1996, preliminary figures for fiscal 1997, and numbers contained in Governors' proposed budgets for fiscal 1998.The April edition of The Fiscal Survey of States says that although 1997 will be the seventh year of economic recovery nationwide, governors are not calling for program expansions but are adhering to the principles of efficiency, austerity, and improved management.
According to the report, governors are proposing moderate spending increases and modest tax cuts and are maintaining surpluses that prepare their states for uncertainties in the future. This action reflects governors' efforts to heed the public's desire for smaller government, to restrain spending, and to prepare for level federal funding to help reach the goal of a balanced budget by 2002. In addition, cutbacks in discretionary federal spending in the form of grants to states, limits on the growth in the Medicaid program, and proposed federal tax cuts will all impact state budgets.
Highlights of the April 1997 edition of The Fiscal Survey of States include:
- The outlook for economic growth in the regions is positive, with less variance among regions in the rate of growth than in the past.
- States are expected to increase their general fund spending by only 4.5 percent in fiscal 1997 and 3.6 percent for fiscal 1998.
- Medicaid spending is now growing at more moderate levels after years of double-digit growth rates.
- For the fourth consecutive year, states are positioning themselves to reduce taxes and fees.
- Twenty-five states are proposing tax reductions, with the most significant reductions in the personal income tax. Recommended tax increases are predominantly for cigarette taxes.
- States are maintaining reserves to help manage economic uncertainties. While end of year balances for fiscal year 1996 and 1997 were above 6 percent, they are expected to drop to just 5.1 percent in 1997.
The most common budget trend cited is the move toward performance-based budgeting, either through a statewide effort or more emphasis on outcomes during budget deliberations. Other directions states are taking include reorganizing government through mergers and consolidations, privatizing certain services, eliminating government functions and departments in order to downsize state government, and reviewing state operations through governors' commissions.
Copies of the report are available for $25 plus $5.95 shipping and handling from NGA Publications, P.O. Box 421, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20710, 301/498-3738.
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