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Maryland’s E-Commerce/Technology Initiatives Enacted
Our thanks to SSTI Weekly Digest subscriber Chris Brantley of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, Inc. <www.ieee.org> for the heads up on this story.
On April 25, Governor Parris Glendening signed 12 acts of the state legislature dealing with information technology and technology-based economic development. Of particular interest is HB 1209 which makes several revisions to the Maryland Science, Engineering, and Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO).
Established in 1998, TEDCO links technology companies with Maryland universities and federal labs. The legislation: (1) authorizes TEDCO to make grants to and other direct investments in Maryland technology companies; (2) shortens the name to the Maryland Technology Development Corporation; (3) increases the size of the Board to 15 to bring additional private sector expertise; (4) permits TEDCO to protect trade secrets and other proprietary information; and (5) extends liability protection to TEDCO employees.
Also of note, HB 276 establishes a CEO Board of Advisors for E-Commerce and an eMaryland Application Service Provider Consortium to assist in Maryland's efforts to create the most advanced electronic business environment in the nation and become an international leader in the deployment of new Internet technologies. The bill also provides the consortium with a funding stream through a Information Technology Investment Fund (ITIF).
HB 794 provides a Sales and Use Tax exemption for digital telecommunications machinery and equipment that enables a television or radio station to receive or broadcast digital signals. The machinery or equipment must have been purchased to comply with federal rules for the implementation of digital television (DTV). The exemption applies to all sales from January 1, 2000 to January 1, 2008 and is expected to result in a decrease in general funds of approximately $1.7 million over a six-year period.
More information is available at: http://www.techmd.state.md.us/ or TEDCO’s website: http://www.mdtech.org/
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