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.

Subscription to the SSTI Weekly Digest is free. If you are reading a forwarded copy of this issue and would like to receive your own copy each week directly, please subscribe at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digform.htm Requests to unsubscribe should be sent to sstiwd@ssti.org

In the March 20, 1998 Issue:

BILLS INTRODUCED TO ADDRESS INFO TECH WORKER SHORTAGE

Representative James P. Moran (D-VA) recently introduced a package of five bills that he feels would help address the critical shortage of information technology workers that the United States currently faces. As reported in the January 23, 1998 issue of the Digest, the Information Technology Association of America predicts that there are approximately 346,000 unfilled information technology jobs in the country today due to a shortage of qualified workers.

H.R. 3270, the Regional Skills Training Alliances Act of 1998, is modeled after the Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP). It directs the Secretary of Commerce to make available through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) competitive grants to improve the job skills necessary for employment in specific industries.

The bill would authorize $50 million per year to NIST for the next three fiscal years to operate a competitive challenge grant for industry-led regional skills alliances. The federal funds would be matched by state, local or industry funds. The money could be spent by the industry alliances on a wide variety of activities, as long as the initiative is focused on skill development. Priority would be given to alliances that consist of a majority of representatives from small businesses.

H.R. 3274, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow employers a credit against income tax for high technology job training expenses, was also introduced. This bill offers employers who train employees for information technology jobs a tax credit for fifty percent of the training costs up to $2,500 per year per employee. To be eligible for the tax credit, the information technology employee must have an occupation specializing in the study, design, development, implementation, support, or management of computer based information systems, such as computer scientist, computer engineer, systems analyst, or computer programmer.

H.R. 3273 deals with the relaxation of immigration policy. It provides that the occupation "information technology professional" would be treated for three years as if the Secretary of Labor had made a determination under the Immigration and Nationality Act that there were not sufficient domestic workers who are able, willing, qualified and available, and that the employment of aliens in such occupations would not adversely affect the wages and working condition of U.S. workers similarly employed.

H.R. 3271 and H.R.3272 deal with the establishment of Regional Private Industry Councils that would be able to reward bonuses to training providers with a high percentage of job placements.

All five of these bills have been referred to their appropriate House Committees. For a copy of the bills' summaries or full text, contact the Institute at 614/421-SSTI (7784).

INNOVATION SUMMIT CALLS FOR NATIONAL ACTION AGENDA

Nearly 150 American leaders launched a two-year initiative last week in the hopes of speeding the development of new technology. The initiative is the result of the National Innovation Summit sponsored by the Council on Competitiveness and held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Attendees included Vice President Al Gore, House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, CEOs of numerous corporations, university presidents, labor leaders, and others.

Summit participants agreed that the U.S. talent pool will be the nation's single greatest vulnerability over the next decade. They were similarly concerned about the future of the national research base. However, they were optimistic about the nation's capital availability, market vitality and access to international markets.

Participants set long and short term priorities to strengthen each area, stressing in particular the use of standards to improve K-12 performance, increasing federal support for frontier research, expanding risk capital for early stage ventures, and protecting U.S. intellectual property in overseas markets.

The Council on Competitiveness will now mobilize its members to convene regional summits around the country in coming months. The Council will present its findings and policy recommendations to the new 106th Congress in January 1999.

The Council is a nonpartisan forum of 140 corporate chief executives, university presidents, and labor leaders working together to set a national action agenda to strengthen U.S. competitiveness.

NMFS ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FOR FY99 FISHERIES RESEARCH

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is accepting proposals for research and development and technology transfer projects to strengthen the U.S. fishing industry.

Funding priorities for the FY 1999 round of funding for the Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) Grant Program include:

NMFS anticipates that $4 million will be available. There is a cost-sharing requirement for this program: a minimum of 10 percent up to a maximum of 50 percent is required.

Proposals are due into NMFS Regional Offices by

May 1. For further information on the program, contact Joyce Lacerda or Kenneth Beal, S- K Program Administrator, at 978/281-9256.

State Science & Technology Institute
5015 Pine Creek Drive
Westerville, OH 43081
Phone: (614) 901-1690
Fax: (614) 901-1696
Email: ssti@ssti.org

  © 2002 State Science and Technology Institute. All rights reserved.