 From Site Selection magazine, November 2002
U.S. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
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Alabama
Legislative sessions are held only in odd-numbered years. In late June, Gov. Don Siegelman signed an executive order establishing the Alabama Research Alliance. The board will consist of thirteen members, including the governor, who will serve as chairman, the chancellor of the University of Alabama System, the presidents of Auburn University, the University of South Alabama, Alabama A&M and Tuskegee University, and seven business leaders, who soon will be appointed by the governor to serve six-year staggered terms.
Alaska
Gov. Tony Knowles signed into law a measure extending from 2004 to 2007 the date by which an applicant must complete certain oil and gas exploratory work in order to qualify for an exploration incentive credit. In July, Knowles signed a bill raising the minimum wage to $7.15 per hour and requiring it to increase along with the Consumer Price Index measure of inflation. When he first proposed the measure in 2001, Alaska's minimum wage was the lowest on the West Coast, at $5.65. To make it easier for developers to secure more flexible, longer term financing for their investments and cultivate economic development in communities along the railbelt, a measure was passed increasing the length of time the Alaska Railroad Corporation may lease land without legislative approval from the current 35 years to 55 years. A referendum will be on November's ballot asking Alaskans if the legislature itself should move from relatively inaccessible Juneau, its location since 1900, to the Anchorage area.
Arizona
A federal Empowerment Zone was established in Tucson, encompassing the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park and the Bombardier Aerospace and Raytheon Defense Industries facilities. The program has the potential of generating $140 million for development in Tucson over the next 10 years. The entire package of incentives will be customized for each business, combining training and tax incentives with partnerships among lenders, businesses and government agencies. Legislation providing for $500,000 a year for 10 years in state funding for biotechnology and genomics research was signed into law in May. The funding is contingent on matching funds from outside contributors. Gov. Jane Hull also included a biotechnology appropriation of $5 million a year for five years, for a total of $25 million, in her FY 2003 budget proposal.
Arkansas
There was no legislative session this year. As candidates vied for office this fall, education and tax reform were often interlinked, with some candidates calling for repeal of certain tax exemptions in order to help the state both balance its budget and improve its schools.
California
In May 2002, Gov. Gray Davis submitted a revised 2002-2003 budget in order to deal with a projected $23.6-billion deficit. The legislative session was ongoing as of this writing, but several measures passed late in 2001 have come into effect, among them: A bill authorized the Technology, Trade, and Commerce Agency (TTCA) to designate three additional Enterprise Zones, which would bring the total number in the state to 42. Requirements were changed for awarding bidder preferences for companies operating in any of the state's eight Local Military Base Recovery Areas (LAMBRAs). The State shall award a 5 percent preference to California-based companies who demonstrate and certify under penalty of perjury that a specified number of the total labor hours required to manufacture and perform a contract will occur at a work site located within a LAMBRA. Another pending bill would extend the period of business incentives for locating within a LAMBRA. The Cleanup Loans and Environmental Assistance to Neighborhoods (CLEAN) program designed for the cleanup and site investigation of brownfield properties was updated. Modifications included expanding eligible areas to include densely populated urban cities; extending loan repayment terms for preliminary endangerment assessment from two to three years and for cleanup from five to seven years'; authorizing loans to pay for environmental insurance premiums; and limiting the jurisdictions that can take action against a responsible party to only the administrative agencies. Another 2001 bill allowed for incentives to businesses and other institutions for using solar power. The program, which permits electricity meters to "spin backwards" while solar energy is produced, inspired Cypress Semiconductor to install $1.1 million worth of photovoltaic cells, saving the company around $300,000 a year.
Continue to: Colorado . . .
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