Senate Bill sb1844c1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1844
By the Committee on Commerce and Economic Opportunities; and
Senators King and Klein
310-2204-02
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"; defining terms;
5 creating the Emerging Technology Commission;
6 providing for membership, powers, and duties of
7 the commission; providing for Florida Research
8 Consortium, Inc., to report to the commission
9 regarding factors contributing to the success
10 of the creation of a center of excellence;
11 requiring the commission to develop and approve
12 criteria for evaluating proposals related to
13 the creation of centers of excellence;
14 requiring the commission to solicit such
15 proposals from state universities; requiring
16 the commission to submit recommended plans to
17 the State Board of Education for establishing
18 centers of excellence in the state; providing
19 for the State Board of Education to develop and
20 approve a final plan for establishing centers
21 of excellence in the state and authorize
22 expenditures for plan implementation; providing
23 commission reporting requirements; providing an
24 expiration date; providing an appropriation for
25 commission staff support and certain
26 administrative expenses; providing an effective
27 date.
28
29 WHEREAS, the commercialization of technologies
30 developed in academic laboratories and research centers
31
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1844
310-2204-02
1 through the application of new innovations is critical for
2 Florida to maintain a competitive economy, and
3 WHEREAS, the development of high-technology industries
4 in Florida, including artificial intelligence/human-centered
5 computing, information technology and communications,
6 biotechnology, bioinformatics, biomedical, electro-optics,
7 life science, nanotechnology, and computer simulation, is
8 critical to the long-term economic vitality of this state, and
9 WHEREAS, high-technology industries will further
10 diversify and strengthen the Florida economy and complement
11 industries already recognized as being critical to Florida's
12 economic health, and
13 WHEREAS, attracting leading scholars and researchers in
14 advanced and emerging technology disciplines to Florida's
15 universities is critical to building Florida's knowledge base,
16 and
17 WHEREAS, promoting collaboration among academic and
18 industrial researchers, scientists, and engineers is essential
19 to the process of commercializing knowledge gained through
20 applied research, and
21 WHEREAS, centers of excellence within, and in
22 collaboration with, the State University System would provide
23 an infrastructure for recruiting and retaining world-class
24 faculty, increasing the number of graduates in advanced and
25 emerging technology programs, increasing the amount of base
26 and applied research conducted in Florida, incubating new
27 companies, developing new educational and industrial
28 applications for such research, helping Florida's businesses
29 adopt emerging technologies, and developing a highly skilled,
30 high-wage workforce, NOW, THEREFORE,
31
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1844
310-2204-02
1 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
2
3 Section 1. Section 240.72, Florida Statutes, is
4 created to read:
5 240.72 Florida Technology Development Act.--
6 (1) This section may be cited as the "Florida
7 Technology Development Act."
8 (2) As used in this section, the term:
9 (a) "Center of excellence" means a program that, among
10 its functions:
11 1. Facilitates the identification of collaborative
12 research opportunities between universities and businesses.
13 2. Facilitates the acquisition of public and private
14 funding for collaborative research opportunities and maximizes
15 the leveraging of such funds.
16 3. Creates partnerships between industrial and
17 governmental entities to advance knowledge and research and to
18 move technologies from academic laboratories and research
19 centers to commercial sectors.
20 4. Stimulates and supports new venture creation
21 through partnerships with venture capital firms and other
22 business, governmental, and educational entities.
23 5. Assists in the enhancement of advanced academic
24 curricula through improved communication between academia and
25 businesses.
26 6. Increases the number of graduates and faculty
27 researchers in advanced technology programs while ensuring
28 that a larger percentage of such graduates pursue careers in
29 Florida industries.
30 7. Recruits and retains eminent scholars in advanced
31 technology disciplines.
3
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1844
310-2204-02
1 8. Provides capital facilities necessary to support
2 research and development.
3 (b) "Commission" means the Emerging Technology
4 Commission.
5 (3) Subject to legislative appropriation, the Emerging
6 Technology Commission is created within the Executive Office
7 of the Governor to guide the establishment of centers of
8 excellence within, and in collaboration with, the State
9 University System.
10 (a) The commission shall consist of five regular
11 members appointed by the Governor, one of whom the Governor
12 shall appoint as chair of the commission; two regular members
13 appointed by the President of the Senate; two regular members
14 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
15 before January 7, 2003, the Secretary of Education as an ex
16 officio nonvoting member; effective January 7, 2003, the
17 Commissioner of Education as an ex officio nonvoting member;
18 and, as ex officio nonvoting members, the member of the Senate
19 and the member of the House of Representatives who serve as
20 members of the Florida Research Consortium, Inc. The regular
21 members shall be business leaders, industrial researchers,
22 academic researchers, scientists, or engineers who have been
23 recognized as leaders in the state's emerging and advanced
24 technology sectors. Regular members must be appointed on or
25 before July 1, 2002.
26 (b) Members of the commission shall serve without
27 compensation but shall be entitled to receive per diem and
28 travel expenses in accordance with s. 112.061 while in
29 performance of their duties.
30
31
4
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1844
310-2204-02
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 (4) By August 1, 2002, Florida Research Consortium,
5 Inc., shall provide a report to the commission which describes
6 in detail and prioritizes factors that contribute to the
7 success of the creation of centers of excellence. At a
8 minimum, the report should describe and prioritize the
9 following factors:
10 (a) Maturity of existing university programs relating
11 to a proposed center of excellence.
12 (b) Existing amount of university resources dedicated
13 to activities relating to a proposed center of excellence.
14 (c) Comprehensiveness and effectiveness of site plans
15 relating to a proposed center of excellence.
16 (d) Regional economic structure and climate.
17 (e) The degree to which a university proposed to house
18 a center of excellence identifies and seizes opportunities to
19 collaborate with other public or private entities for research
20 purposes.
21 (f) The presence of a comprehensive performance and
22 accountability measurement system.
23 (g) The use of an integrated research and development
24 strategy utilizing multiple levels of the educational system.
25 (h) The ability of a university proposed to house a
26 center of excellence to raise research funds and leverage
27 public and private investment dollars to support advanced and
28 emerging technological research and development projects.
29 (i) The degree to which a university proposed to house
30 a center of excellence transfers advanced and emerging
31 technologies from its laboratories to the commercial sector.
5
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1844
310-2204-02
1 (j) The degree to which a university proposed to house
2 a center of excellence stimulates and supports new venture
3 creation.
4 (k) The existence of a plan to enhance academic
5 curricula by improving communication between academia and
6 industry.
7 (l) The existence of a plan to increase the number,
8 quality, and retention rate of faculty, graduate students, and
9 eminent scholars in advanced and emerging technology-based
10 disciplines.
11 (m) The existence of a plan to increase the likelihood
12 of faculty, graduate students, and eminent scholars pursuing
13 private-sector careers in the state.
14 (n) Ability to provide capital facilities necessary to
15 support research and development.
16 (5) By September 15, 2002, the commission shall
17 develop and approve criteria for evaluating proposals
18 submitted under subsection (6). When developing such criteria,
19 the commission shall consider the report provided by Florida
20 Research Consortium, Inc., under subsection (4) and hold at
21 least two public hearings, at times and locations designated
22 by the chair of the commission, for the purpose of soliciting
23 expert testimony. By October 1, 2002, the commission shall
24 provide a list of such criteria to each university in the
25 State University System and to the State Technology Office for
26 publishing on the Internet within 24 hours after the office's
27 receipt of the list.
28 (6) Concurrent with the provision of the list of
29 criteria to the universities, the commission shall notify each
30 university, in writing, of the opportunity to submit to the
31 commission written proposals for establishing one or more
6
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1844
310-2204-02
1 centers of excellence. Proposals must specifically address the
2 evaluation criteria developed by the commission and delineate
3 how funding would be used to develop one or more centers of
4 excellence. Proposals must be submitted to the commission by
5 December 1, 2002. Notwithstanding this deadline, the
6 commission, upon an affirmative vote of a majority of its
7 members, may accept a proposal submitted after the deadline.
8 (7) By February 1, 2003, the commission shall submit
9 to the State Board of Education a minimum of two, but no more
10 than five, recommended plans for the establishment of one or
11 more centers of excellence in the state. Recommended plans
12 must specifically address the evaluation criteria developed by
13 the commission and delineate how funding would be used to
14 develop one or more centers of excellence. When developing
15 such recommended plans, the commission shall consider the
16 university proposals submitted under subsection (6) and hold
17 at least three public hearings, at times and locations
18 designated by the chair of the commission, for the purpose of
19 soliciting expert testimony including, but not limited to,
20 viewing presentations of university proposals.
21 (8) By March 15, 2003, the State Board of Education
22 shall develop and approve a final plan for the establishment
23 of one or more centers of excellence in the state and
24 authorize expenditures for implementation of the plan. The
25 final plan must allocate at least $25 million to each center
26 of excellence established by the plan. When developing this
27 final plan, the board shall consider the commission's
28 recommended plans submitted under subsection (7) and hold at
29 least one public hearing for the purpose of soliciting expert
30 testimony. The final plan must include performance and
31 accountability measures that can be used to assess the
7
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2002 CS for SB 1844
310-2204-02
1 progress of plan implementation and the success of the centers
2 of excellence established under the final plan. By March 22,
3 2003, the board shall provide a copy of the final plan to the
4 Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
5 House of Representatives.
6 (9) Beginning June 30, 2003, the commission shall
7 report quarterly, in writing, to the Commissioner of Education
8 on the progress of the implementation of the final plan
9 approved under subsection (8) and the success of the centers
10 of excellence established under that plan.
11 (10) This section expires July 1, 2004.
12 Section 2. The sum of $50,000 is appropriated from the
13 General Revenue Fund to the Executive Office of the Governor
14 for the 2002-2003 fiscal year for the purpose of providing
15 staff support to the Emerging Technology Commission and per
16 diem and travel expenses for commission members.
17 Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
18 law.
19
20 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
21 Senate Bill 1844
22
23 The committee substitute replaces the original bill. This
committee substitute creates the "Florida Technology
24 Development Act," which establishes a process for the State
Board of Education (board) to develop, approve, and authorize
25 expenditures for a plan for establishing one or more centers
of excellence within, and in collaboration with, the State
26 University System. The process includes, subject to
legislative appropriation, the creation of the Emerging
27 Technology Commission (commission) within the Governor's
Office for the purpose of recommending preliminary plans to
28 the board for consideration. When developing these plans, the
commission must consider certain input from Florida Research
29 Consortium, Inc., and individual experts in relevant fields.
30
31
8
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.