Bill Text: NJ S1386 | 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 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-02-06 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee [S1386 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S1386-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes innovation zone program to stimulate technology industry clusters around New Jersey's research universities, colleges, or research hospitals.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing an innovation zone program in the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and supplementing P.L.1974, c.80 (C.34:1B-1 et seq.).
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, and Greater New Brunswick;
(6) The authority has the ability to acquire land and develop shared infrastructure that is specialized to the needs of later stage businesses such as pilot scale production centers; and
(7) Pursuant to Executive Order No. 128 of 2004, Governor McGreevey created three "innovation zones" 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, 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 the 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 and colleges and 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 Camden City, Glassboro Borough, Mantua Township, and Stratford Borough.
"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 or 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.
"Secretary" means the "Secretary of Higher Education established pursuant to Reorganization Plan No. 005-2011.
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 or college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, and located in Camden, Newark, 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 a New Jersey public research university or college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, 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 business assistance programs, where permissible by law, to give bonuses or other enhanced incentives to high-technology businesses that locate in an innovation zone, so long as the business location is within the surroundings of a New Jersey public research university or college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, as determined by the authority in the designation of the innovation zone.
6. The authority and the secretary shall modify their programs, where permissible by law, to promote and support networks and collaboration between high-technology businesses and research universities or colleges or research hospitals in the innovation zones, to increase federal funding to research universities and colleges and research hospitals in areas of strategic importance to New Jersey's high-technology industry, to promote the transfer of technology and commercialization of new ideas in the innovation zones, and to further develop support for high-technology companies in the innovation zones including, but not limited to, business incubation and grant writing assistance services.
7. The authority shall work cooperatively with other State departments, agencies, boards, commissions, and authorities to explore and implement opportunities to direct resources to those areas within the innovation zones that surround a New Jersey public research university or college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, 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 secretary may recommend potential future innovation zones and subzones to enhance cluster-based economic development strategies anchored by research universities or colleges or research hospitals.
8. The authority and the secretary 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 their responsibilities under this act, including, but not be limited to: the Department of Treasury for assistance with high-technology business funding assistance 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 New Jersey Business Action Center to assist in business attraction efforts and advising on smart growth development strategies; and the Department of Community Affairs for assistance in expanding housing opportunities and the coordination with the Urban Enterprise Zone program.
Each department, authority, commission, board, office, division, and agency of the State is hereby required to cooperate with the authority and the secretary to furnish the authority and commission 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
In implementing, in part, Governor McGreevey's Executive Order No. 128 of 2004, this 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 or college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, and located in Camden, Newark, and Greater New Brunswick. An innovation zone is a geographic area surrounding a New Jersey research university or 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 high-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 business assistance programs where permissible by law, to give bonuses or other enhanced incentives to high-technology 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 innovation zone.
The bill requires the authority and the Secretary of Higher Education (the "secretary") to modify their programs, where permissible by law, to promote and support networks and collaboration between high-technology businesses and research universities or colleges or research hospitals in the innovation zones, to increase federal funding to universities and colleges in areas of strategic importance to New Jersey's high-technology industry, to promote the transfer of technology and commercialization of new ideas in the innovation zones, and to further develop support for high-technology companies in the innovation zones including, but not limited to, business incubation and grant writing assistance services.
The bill requires the authority to work cooperatively with other State departments, agencies, boards, commissions, and authorities to explore and implement opportunities to direct resources to those areas within the innovation zones that surround a New Jersey public research university or college or research hospital, or any combination thereof, as determined by the authority, 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 secretary may recommend potential future innovation zones and subzones to enhance cluster-based economic development strategies anchored by research universities or colleges or research hospitals.
Further, 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 secretary with respect to the functioning of the innovation zones and the needs of the local technology industry.
