House Bill hb1937c1
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 CS/HB 1937
By the Fiscal Responsibility Council and Committee on
Information Technology and Representatives Hart, Mack, Mealor,
Gannon, Jennings, Ausley, Green, Littlefield, Harrell, Jordan,
Benson, Hogan, Allen, Harper, Gelber, Holloway, Wiles,
(Additional Sponsors on Last Printed Page)
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to technology development;
3 creating s. 240.72, F.S.; creating the "Florida
4 Technology Development Act"; providing a
5 definition; providing purposes and objectives
6 of a center of excellence; creating the
7 Emerging Technology Commission; providing for
8 membership, powers, and duties of the
9 commission; providing for the Florida Research
10 Consortium, Inc., to report to the commission
11 regarding factors contributing to the success
12 of the creation of a center of excellence;
13 requiring the commission to develop and approve
14 criteria for evaluating proposals related to
15 the creation of centers of excellence;
16 requiring the commission to solicit such
17 proposals from state universities; requiring
18 the commission to submit recommended plans to
19 the State Board of Education for establishing
20 centers of excellence in the state; requiring
21 the State Board of Education to develop and
22 approve a final plan for establishing centers
23 of excellence in the state and to authorize
24 expenditures for plan implementation; providing
25 commission reporting requirements; providing
26 for future repeal; providing an appropriation
27 for commission staff support and certain
28 administrative expenses; providing an effective
29 date.
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 CS/HB 1937
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1 WHEREAS, the commercialization of technologies
2 developed in academic laboratories and research centers
3 through the application of new innovations is critical for
4 Florida to maintain a competitive economy, and
5 WHEREAS, promoting high-technology industrial growth
6 will further diversify and strengthen the Florida economy and
7 complement industries already recognized as being critical to
8 Florida's economic health, and
9 WHEREAS, attracting leading scholars and researchers in
10 advanced and emerging technology disciplines to Florida's
11 universities is critical to building Florida's knowledge base,
12 and
13 WHEREAS, promoting collaboration among academic and
14 industrial researchers, scientists, and engineers is essential
15 to the process of commercializing knowledge gained through
16 applied research, and
17 WHEREAS, centers of excellence within, and in
18 collaboration with, the State University System would provide
19 an infrastructure for recruiting and retaining world-class
20 faculty, increasing the number of graduates in advanced and
21 emerging technology programs, increasing the amount of base
22 and applied research conducted in Florida, incubating new
23 companies, developing new educational and industrial
24 applications for such research, helping Florida's businesses
25 adopt emerging technologies, and developing a highly skilled,
26 high-wage workforce, NOW, THEREFORE,
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28 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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30 Section 1. Section 240.72, Florida Statutes, is
31 created to read:
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Florida House of Representatives - 2002 CS/HB 1937
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1 240.72 The Florida Technology Development Act.--
2 (1) This section may be cited as the "Florida
3 Technology Development Act."
4 (2) "Center of excellence," as used in this section,
5 means an organization of personnel, facilities, and equipment
6 established at or in collaboration with one or more
7 universities in Florida to accomplish the purposes and
8 objectives of this section.
9 (3) The purposes and objectives of a center of
10 excellence include:
11 (a) Identifying and pursuing opportunities for
12 university scholars, research center scientists and engineers,
13 and private businesses to form collaborative partnerships to
14 foster and promote the research required to develop
15 commercially promising, advanced, and innovative technologies
16 and to transfer those technologies to commercial sectors.
17 (b) Acquiring and leveraging public and private-sector
18 funding to provide the totality of funds, personnel,
19 facilities, equipment, and other resources needed to support
20 the research required to develop commercially promising,
21 advanced, and innovative technologies and to transfer those
22 technologies to commercial sectors.
23 (c) Recruiting and retaining world-class scholars,
24 high-performing students, and leading scientists and engineers
25 in technology disciplines to engage in research in this state
26 to develop commercially promising, advanced, and innovative
27 technologies.
28 (d) Enhancing and expanding technology curricula and
29 laboratory resources at universities and research centers in
30 this state.
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1 (e) Increasing the number of high-performing students
2 in technology disciplines who graduate from universities in
3 this state and pursue careers in this state.
4 (f) Stimulating and supporting the inception, growth,
5 and diversification of technology-based businesses and
6 ventures in Florida and increasing employment opportunities
7 for the workforce needed to support such businesses.
8 (4) Subject to legislative appropriation, the Emerging
9 Technology Commission is created within the Executive Office
10 of the Governor to guide the establishment of centers of
11 excellence.
12 (a) The commission shall consist of five regular
13 members appointed by the Governor, one of whom the Governor
14 shall appoint as chair of the commission; two regular members
15 appointed by the President of the Senate; two regular members
16 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
17 before January 7, 2003, the Secretary of Education as an ex
18 officio nonvoting member; effective January 7, 2003, the
19 Commissioner of Education as an ex officio nonvoting member;
20 and, as ex officio nonvoting members, the member of the Senate
21 and the member of the House of Representatives who serve as
22 members of the Florida Research Consortium, Inc. The regular
23 members shall be business leaders, industrial researchers,
24 academic researchers, scientists, or engineers who have been
25 recognized as leaders in the state's emerging and advanced
26 technology sectors. Regular members must be appointed on or
27 before July 1, 2002.
28 (b) Members of the commission shall serve without
29 compensation but shall be entitled to receive per diem and
30 travel expenses in accordance with s. 112.061 while in
31 performance of their duties.
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1 (c) The Executive Office of the Governor shall provide
2 staff support for the activities of the commission and per
3 diem and travel expenses for commission members.
4 (5) The commission shall solicit from the Florida
5 Research Consortium, Inc., a report detailing and prioritizing
6 the factors that would contribute to the success of the
7 creation of a center of excellence. Such report must be
8 received by the commission by August 1, 2002. At a minimum,
9 the commission shall seek from the Florida Research
10 Consortium, Inc., a detailed description and prioritization of
11 the following factors:
12 (a) Maturity of existing university programs relating
13 to a proposed center of excellence.
14 (b) Existing amount of university resources dedicated
15 to activities relating to a proposed center of excellence.
16 (c) Comprehensiveness and effectiveness of site plans
17 relating to a proposed center of excellence.
18 (d) Regional economic structure and climate.
19 (e) The degree to which a university proposed to house
20 a center of excellence identifies and seizes opportunities to
21 collaborate with other public or private entities for research
22 purposes.
23 (f) The presence of a comprehensive performance and
24 accountability measurement system.
25 (g) The use of an integrated research and development
26 strategy utilizing multiple levels of the educational system.
27 (h) The ability of a university proposed to house a
28 center of excellence to raise research funds and leverage
29 public and private investment dollars to support advanced and
30 emerging technological research and development projects.
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1 (i) The degree to which a university proposed to house
2 a center of excellence transfers advanced and emerging
3 technologies from its laboratories to the commercial sector.
4 (j) The degree to which a university proposed to house
5 a center of excellence stimulates and supports new venture
6 creation.
7 (k) The existence of a plan to enhance academic
8 curricula by improving communication between academia and
9 industry.
10 (l) The existence of a plan to increase the number,
11 quality, and retention rate of faculty, graduate students, and
12 eminent scholars in advanced and emerging technology-based
13 disciplines.
14 (m) The existence of a plan to increase the likelihood
15 of faculty, graduate students, and eminent scholars pursuing
16 private-sector careers in the state.
17 (n) Ability to provide capital facilities necessary to
18 support research and development.
19 (6) By September 15, 2002, the commission shall
20 develop and approve criteria for evaluating proposals
21 submitted under subsection (7). When developing such criteria,
22 the commission shall consider the report provided by the
23 Florida Research Consortium, Inc., under subsection (5) and
24 hold at least two public hearings, at times and locations
25 designated by the chair of the commission, for the purpose of
26 soliciting expert testimony relating to the factors set forth
27 in subsection (5). By October 1, 2002, the commission shall
28 provide a list of such criteria to each university in the
29 State University System, to the Florida Research Consortium,
30 Inc., and to the State Technology Office for publication on
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1 the Internet within 24 hours after the office's receipt of the
2 list.
3 (7) Concurrent with the provision of the list of
4 criteria to the universities, the commission shall notify each
5 university, in writing, of the opportunity to submit to the
6 commission written proposals for establishing one or more
7 centers of excellence. Proposals must specifically address the
8 evaluation criteria developed by the commission and delineate
9 how funding would be used to develop one or more centers of
10 excellence. Proposals must be submitted to the commission by
11 December 1, 2002. Notwithstanding this deadline, the
12 commission, upon an affirmative vote of a majority of its
13 members, may accept a proposal submitted after the deadline.
14 (8) By February 1, 2003, the commission shall submit
15 to the State Board of Education a minimum of two, but no more
16 than five, recommended plans for the establishment of one or
17 more centers of excellence in the state. Recommended plans
18 must specifically address the evaluation criteria developed by
19 the commission and delineate how funding would be used to
20 develop one or more centers of excellence. When developing
21 such recommended plans, the commission shall consider the
22 university proposals submitted under subsection (7) and hold
23 at least three public hearings, at times and locations
24 designated by the chair of the commission, for the purpose of
25 soliciting expert testimony, including, but not limited to,
26 viewing presentations of university proposals.
27 (9) By March 15, 2003, the State Board of Education
28 shall develop and approve a final plan for the establishment
29 of one or more centers of excellence in the state and shall
30 authorize the allocation and expenditure of appropriated and
31 available funds for implementation of the plan. When
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1 developing this final plan, the board shall consider the
2 commission's recommended plans submitted under subsection (8)
3 and hold at least one public hearing for the purpose of
4 soliciting expert testimony. The final plan must include
5 performance and accountability measures that can be used to
6 assess the progress of plan implementation and the success of
7 the centers of excellence established under the final plan. By
8 March 22, 2003, the board shall provide a copy of the final
9 plan to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
10 Speaker of the House of Representatives.
11 (10) Beginning June 30, 2003, the commission shall
12 report quarterly, in writing, to the Commissioner of Education
13 on the progress of the implementation of the final plan
14 approved under subsection (9) and the success of the centers
15 of excellence established under that plan.
16 (11) This section is repealed July 1, 2004.
17 Section 2. The sum of $50,000 in nonrecurring funds is
18 appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Executive
19 Office of the Governor for the 2002-2003 fiscal year for the
20 purposes of providing administrative and support services to
21 the Emerging Technology Commission and per diem and travel
22 expenses for commission members. The the sum of $30 million in
23 nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the Educational
24 Enhancement Trust Fund to the Executive Office of the Governor
25 for the 2002-2003 fiscal year for the other purposes of the
26 act.
27 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
28 law.
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ADDITIONAL SPONSORS
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4 Kendrick, Gottlieb, Bilirakis, Carassas, Kyle, Haridopolos,
5 Paul and Bense
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