Bill Text: NJ A1376 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes innovation zone program to stimulate technology industry clusters around New Jersey's research universities, colleges or research hospitals.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-10 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee [A1376 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-A1376-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
215th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2012 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman UPENDRA J. CHIVUKULA
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman JOSEPH V. EGAN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Giblin, Schaer, Diegnan, Conaway, Johnson, Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle, Assemblymen P.Barnes, III, Ramos, Assemblywoman Jasey, Assemblymen Gusciora and Coutinho
SYNOPSIS
Establishes innovation zone program to stimulate technology industry clusters around New Jersey's research universities, colleges or research hospitals.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act establishing an innovation zone program in the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and supplementing chapter 1B of Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Legislature finds and declares that:
(1) New Jersey's historic legacy of innovation and invention has resulted in an economy that is currently leading the nation out of recession and has contributed to its national reputation as the home of numerous advanced technology industries;
(2) New Jersey must continue to meet the challenges and opportunities of the global marketplace by fostering the creation of high-quality jobs that will sustain a knowledge-based economy that thrives on innovation and entrepreneurship in order to bring advanced technologies to market;
(3) New Jersey should capitalize on its competitive advantage through economic development initiatives that support the State's world-class academic research universities, colleges and science and technology industries;
(4) Relationships between industrial and academic research in the State must be strengthened to sustain New Jersey's economy and to propel it to an even higher level of performance;
(5) The State of New Jersey and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority ("authority") have supported the research and development efforts of technology companies by developing financial assistance programs and laboratory space in commercialization centers underway in Camden, Newark City, and Greater New Brunswick;
(6) The authority has the ability to acquire land and develop shared infrastructure that is specialized to the focus needs of later stage businesses such as pilot scale production centers;
(7) The New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology's ("commission") mission is to promote further development of the State's academic research capabilities in fields of strategic importance to New Jersey's technology industry, to enhance the transfer of technology from the academic research environment to commercialization in the marketplace, and to encourage entrepreneurship and the establishment of new enterprises in science and new technology fields;
(8) The New Jersey Life Sciences Super-Cluster Initiative commissioned by Prosperity New Jersey to assess the current competitive position of New Jersey's life sciences clusters recommended that clusters will be enhanced if there is an increased interaction by cluster participants in a concentrated geographic location; and
(9) In Governor McGreevey's 2004 State of the State Address, the Governor proposed the creation of three "innovation zones" which were later established in Executive Order No. 128 of 2004, to stimulate industry clusters around our universities or research hospitals.
b. The Legislature determines that it is in the public interest to establish three innovation zones surrounding New Jersey's research universities and colleges or research hospitals, to be located in Camden, Newark City, and Greater New Brunswick and that:
(1) The goal of the innovation zones program is to attract high-technology businesses and research scientists to these defined areas, where proximity to research universities and colleges and research hospitals will increase collaborative research effort between the academic communities and New Jersey's technology industry, resulting in business and job growth;
(2) These innovation zones will serve to spur partnerships between New Jersey's research universities, colleges, research hospitals and industries, and will encourage the more rapid transfer of discoveries from New Jersey's laboratories to the marketplace;
(3) The creation of the innovation zones will require the focusing of resources on geographic areas where research clusters presently exist or have the potential to form because of the location of research universities and colleges or research hospitals; and
(4) These geographic areas will also be made more attractive to businesses, entrepreneurs and researchers by the availability of alternative housing opportunities, access to public transportation and workforce development initiatives that provide customized training for all level of employees.
2. As used in this act:
"Authority" means the New Jersey Economic Development Authority established pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1974, c.80 (C.34:1B-4).
"Camden" means the City of Camden, the Borough of Glassboro, the Township of Mantua, and Stratford Borough in Camden County.
"Commission" means the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology created pursuant to P.L.1985, c.102 (C.52:9X-1 et seq.).
"Greater New Brunswick" means New Brunswick City, South Brunswick Township, North Brunswick Township, Piscataway Township, Franklin Township in Somerset County, Princeton Township, Princeton Borough, Plainsboro Township , East Windsor Township, and West Windsor Township.
"Innovation zone" means a geographic area that surrounds a New Jersey research university, college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, that has the potential of attracting a collaborative research effort between the academic communities, research hospitals and New Jersey's technology industry, resulting in business and job growth.
3. The authority shall establish an "innovation zone" program within the authority which shall consist of three innovation zones with each zone surrounding a New Jersey research university, college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, and located in Camden, Newark City, and Greater New Brunswick.
4. The executive director of the authority shall recommend the precise geographic boundaries of the innovation zones to the members of the authority, who shall give their final approval to the geographic boundaries of the innovation zones. An innovation zone may consist of a zone and subzone or subzones in order to accommodate the targeting of financial resources to those geographic areas surrounding New Jersey public research universities, as provided pursuant to section 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
5. The authority, with the approval of the State Treasurer, shall modify its existing programs where permissible by law to give bonuses or other enhanced incentives to businesses that locate in an innovation zone, so long as the business location is within the surroundings of a New Jersey public university, as determined by the authority in the designation of the zone. Programs to be utilized in this regard shall include the Business Employment Incentive Program, the Seed Capital program, the Springboard Fund, the Technology Tax Certificate Transfer program, the Garden State Life Sciences Venture Fund and other technology funding programs.
6. The commission shall modify its programs where permissible by law to promote and support networks and collaboration between the local technology industry and university, college or hospital researchers in the innovation zones, to increase federal funding to universities and colleges in areas of strategic importance to New Jersey's technology industry, to promote the transfer of technology and commercialization of new ideas in the innovation zones, and to further develop support for technology companies in the innovation zones by means including, but not limited to, incubation and grant writing assistance.
7. The authority and the commission shall work cooperatively with other State departments, agencies, boards, commissions and authorities to explore and implement opportunities to direct resources to those areas within innovation zones that surround a New Jersey public university, as determined by the authority pursuant to section 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and may provide technology, financial and workforce development opportunities, infrastructure and housing elsewhere within innovation zones. With the assistance of these State entities, the authority and the commission may recommend potential future innovation zones and subzones to enhance cluster-based economic development strategies anchored by research universities and colleges or research hospitals.
8. The authority and the commission are authorized to call upon any department, authority, commission, board, office, division or agency of the State to provide such information, resources or other assistance deemed necessary to discharge its responsibilities under this act. Such responsibilities may include, but not be limited to, the Department of Treasury for assistance with the Business Employment Incentive Program, the Technology Tax Certificate Transfer program, and other technology funding programs; the Department of Labor and Workforce Development for assistance in developing workforce development strategies; the Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Transit Corporation for assistance in enhancing public transportation networks and infrastructure; the Department of Community Affairs for assistance in expanding housing opportunities, coordination with the Urban Enterprise Zone program, and advising on smart growth development strategies; and the Commission on Higher Education to facilitate and promote partnerships and programs to address workforce needs and enhance research and development.
Each department, authority, commission, board, office, division and agency of the State is hereby required to cooperate with the authority and to furnish the authority with such information, personnel and assistance as is necessary to accomplish the purposes of this act.
9. The authority shall establish an advisory committee for each innovation zone whose membership shall consist of local technology business leaders and representatives from the research community. Each advisory committee shall meet quarterly to advise the authority and the commission with respect to the functioning of the innovation zones and the needs of the local technology industry.
10. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill implements, in part, Governor McGreevey's Executive Order No. 128 of 2004. The bill requires the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (the "authority") to establish an "innovation zone" program within the authority to consist of three innovation zones, with each zone surrounding a New Jersey research university, college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, and located in Camden, Newark City, and Greater New Brunswick.
An innovation zone is a geographic area surrounding a New Jersey research university, college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, that has the potential to attract a collaborative research effort between the academic communities, research hospitals and New Jersey's technology industry, resulting in business and job growth. The executive director of the authority is to recommend the precise geographic boundaries of the innovation zones and subzones to the members of the authority, who shall give their final approval to the geographic boundaries of the innovation zones.
The bill requires the authority, with the approval of the State Treasurer, to modify its existing programs where permissible by law to give bonuses or other enhanced incentives to businesses that locate in an innovation zone within the surroundings of a public research university. Programs to be utilized in this regard shall include the Business Employment Incentive Program, the Seed Capital program, the Springboard Fund, the Technology Tax Certificate Transfer program, the Garden State Life Sciences Venture Fund, and other technology funding programs.
The bill requires the Commission on Science and Technology (the "commission") to modify its programs where permissible by law to promote and support networks and collaboration between the local technology industry and university or hospital researchers in the innovation zones, to increase federal funding to universities in areas of strategic importance to New Jersey's technology industry, to promote the transfer of technology and commercialization of new ideas in the innovation zones, and to further develop support for technology companies in the innovation zones. With the assistance of these State entities, the authority and the commission may recommend potential future innovation zones to enhance cluster-based economic development strategies anchored by research universities, colleges or research hospitals.
