Bill Text: NY A04198 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: An act to amend the public authorities law, in relation to recodification of the small business innovation research program and the awards made thereunder within the New York state foundation for science, technology and innovation; and to repeal section 3102-c of such law relating to the small business innovation research program
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-04-13 - reported referred to ways and means [A04198 Detail]
Download: New_York-2009-A04198-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 4198 2009-2010 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y January 30, 2009 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SCHIMMINGER, SWEENEY, MORELLE, DESTITO, TOWNS, SCHROEDER -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COLTON, JOHN, KOON, MAGNARELLI, McENENY, MILLMAN -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Small Business AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to recodifica- tion of the small business innovation research program and the awards made thereunder within the New York state foundation for science, technology and innovation; and to repeal section 3102-c of such law relating to the small business innovation research program THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The state small business innovation 2 research (SBIR) program, which began in 1984, was designed to provide 3 assistance to New York's newer high technology companies, helping them 4 compete for a greater share of the federal research contracts under the 5 federal SBIR program. The state program was highly successful, increas- 6 ing the amount of federal SBIR dollars coming into the state from under 7 five million dollars annually to over thirty million dollars by 1991. As 8 importantly, state assistance under this program greatly increased the 9 ability of federal SBIR Phase I award winners to compete for much larger 10 SBIR Phase II awards. Although the state SBIR statute remains in effect, 11 the state stopped funding the program after its initial success, in part 12 because of disagreement over how to allocate limited funds among the 13 rapidly increasing number of federal SBIR award winners. Consequently, 14 the number of state winners dramatically decreased. This act recodifies 15 the small business innovation research program within the public author- 16 ities law under the auspices of the foundation for science, technology 17 and innovation, and clarifies how funds will be allocated so that the 18 program can begin anew to assist small high technology companies to 19 compete for federal SBIR funds, which will help them grow and provide 20 new jobs for New York citizens. EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06825-01-9 A. 4198 2 1 S 2. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new section 2 3154-a to read as follows: 3 S 3154-A. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM. 1. AS USED IN 4 THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS: 5 (A) "SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM" OR "SBIR" MEANS THAT 6 PROGRAM, ENACTED PURSUANT TO THE SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT 7 ACT OF 1982 (P.L. 97-219), WHICH PROVIDES FUNDS TO SMALL BUSINESSES TO 8 CONDUCT INNOVATIVE RESEARCH HAVING COMMERCIAL APPLICATION. 9 (B) "SMALL BUSINESS" MEANS A CORPORATION, PARTNERSHIP, LIMITED LIABIL- 10 ITY COMPANY, SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP, OR INDIVIDUAL, OPERATING A BUSINESS 11 FOR PROFIT, WITH TWO HUNDRED FIFTY EMPLOYEES OR FEWER, INCLUDING EMPLOY- 12 EES EMPLOYED IN ANY SUBSIDIARY OR AFFILIATED CORPORATION OR OTHER ENTI- 13 TY, WHICH OTHERWISE MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE FEDERAL SMALL BUSINESS 14 INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM. 15 2. (A) WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE SMALL 16 BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM PHASE I AWARD WINNERS BY THE APPRO- 17 PRIATE FEDERAL AGENCY, THE FOUNDATION SHALL CONTACT ALL PHASE I AWARD 18 RECIPIENTS WHOSE PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS IS LOCATED IN THIS STATE, 19 PROVIDE THEM WITH INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PROGRAM AUTHORIZED PURSUANT 20 TO THIS SECTION, AND ADVISE THEM OF THE REQUIREMENTS RELATING THERETO. 21 ANY SUCH RECIPIENT, AT LEAST THIRTY DAYS PRIOR TO THE COMPLETION OF ITS 22 SBIR PHASE I GRANT PERIOD, MAY, AT ITS DISCRETION, SUBMIT TO THE FOUNDA- 23 TION A NOTICE OF ITS DESIRE TO SECURE RESEARCH FUNDING PURSUANT TO THE 24 PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION, ALONG WITH A COPY OF ITS ORIGINAL FEDERAL 25 SBIR PROPOSAL AND SUCH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS THE FOUNDATION MAY 26 REQUIRE TO ASSIST IT IN DETERMINING THE ELIGIBILITY OF SUCH RECIPIENT 27 FOR THIS PROGRAM. 28 (B) IN ADDITION TO RECEIPT OF AN SBIR AWARD, ANY SMALL BUSINESS SHALL 29 MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: 30 I. SUCH SMALL BUSINESS'S PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS SHALL BE LOCATED 31 IN THIS STATE; 32 II. SUCH SMALL BUSINESS SHALL CERTIFY THAT THE RESEARCH TO BE 33 CONDUCTED WILL BE PERFORMED SOLELY IN THIS STATE; 34 III. NO MONEYS SHALL BE EXPENDED FOR TRAVEL, EQUIPMENT, OR FACILITIES; 35 AND 36 IV. NOT MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF ANY MONEYS AWARDED TO A FIRM BY THE 37 FOUNDATION MAY BE USED TO CONTRACT FOR RESEARCH OR OTHER RELATED 38 SERVICES. 39 (C) UPON A FINDING BY THE FOUNDATION THAT: (I) A PHASE I AWARD RECIPI- 40 ENT WHOSE PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS IS IN NEW YORK HAS SATISFACTORILY 41 MET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SECTION AND ANY ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS 42 THE FOUNDATION MAY DEEM NECESSARY; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT ANY SUCH 43 ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS SHALL NOT ARBITRARILY EXCLUDE A PARTICULAR GROUP 44 OR GROUPS OF TECHNOLOGIES OR COMPANIES; AND (II) THE RESEARCH CONDUCTED 45 MAY RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY HAVING THE POTEN- 46 TIAL TO LEAD TO COMMERCIALIZATION OR FABRICATION WITHIN NEW YORK OF NEW 47 OR IMPROVED PRODUCTS, PROCESSES, OR SERVICES, THE FOUNDATION SHALL NOTI- 48 FY SUCH SMALL BUSINESS THAT IT WILL AWARD THE FIRM A RESEARCH CONTRACT. 49 SUCH CONTRACT SHALL BE COMPATIBLE WITH AND A CONTINUATION OF THE 50 RESEARCH TO BE PERFORMED UNDER THE SBIR CONTRACT AWARDED BY THE FEDERAL 51 AGENCY INVOLVED AND SHALL BE CALCULATED AS FOLLOWS: (I) THE AMOUNT OF 52 EACH CONTRACT SHALL EQUAL THE AMOUNT OF THE FEDERAL SBIR AWARD OR FIFTY 53 THOUSAND DOLLARS, WHICHEVER IS LESS; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT THE TOTAL 54 AMOUNT OF ALL SUCH CONTRACTS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT APPROPRIATED 55 FOR THIS PURPOSE, OR (II) IN THE EVENT THAT THE TOTAL, POSSIBLE, MAXIMUM 56 AMOUNT OF ALL CONTRACTS, SUCH TOTAL, POSSIBLE, MAXIMUM AMOUNT CALCULATED A. 4198 3 1 ON THE BASIS OF MATCHING EACH FEDERAL SBIR AWARD IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO 2 THE AMOUNT OF SUCH AWARD, OR FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS, WHICHEVER IS LESS, 3 EXCEEDS THE TOTAL AMOUNT APPROPRIATED FOR THIS PURPOSE, THE AMOUNT OF 4 EACH CONTRACT SHALL BE REDUCED BY A RATIO EQUAL TO THE AMOUNT APPROPRI- 5 ATED FOR THIS PURPOSE DIVIDED BY THE TOTAL, POSSIBLE, MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF 6 ALL CONTRACTS TO BE AWARDED. 7 (D) THE FOUNDATION SHALL ESTABLISH RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE SMALL 8 BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH PROGRAM, INCLUDING AWARD SELECTION CRITE- 9 RIA, WHICH SHALL SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR AWARDS FUNDED UNDER THIS 10 PROGRAM. 11 3. THE FOUNDATION SHALL NOT DISBURSE ANY MONEYS TO A SMALL BUSINESS 12 UNTIL: 13 (A) SUCH SMALL BUSINESS HAS COMPLETED ITS SBIR PHASE I RESEARCH; 14 (B) ITS FINAL PHASE I REPORT WITH RESPECT THERETO HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY 15 THE FEDERAL AGENCY INVOLVED; 16 (C) ITS PHASE II RESEARCH PROPOSAL HAS BEEN PROPERLY SUBMITTED TO THE 17 FEDERAL AGENCY INVOLVED; AND 18 (D) IT HAS SUBMITTED COPIES OF ITS FINAL PHASE I REPORT AND ITS PHASE 19 II PROPOSAL TO THE FOUNDATION. 20 4. CONSISTENT WITH FEDERAL SBIR PROCEDURES, THE FOUNDATION SHALL NOT 21 DISCLOSE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION WHEN REQUESTED NOT TO DO SO BY PARTIC- 22 IPANTS IN THIS PROGRAM. 23 5. THE FOUNDATION SHALL ANNUALLY SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE 24 TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY 25 DETAILING THE RESULTS OF THE PROGRAM, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE 26 NUMBER OF NEW YORK SMALL BUSINESSES APPLYING FOR SBIR AWARDS, THE NUMBER 27 RECEIVING PHASE I AWARDS, THE NUMBER RECEIVING PHASE II AWARDS, ANY 28 PRODUCTS OR PROCESSES DEVELOPED AS A RESULT OF THE SBIR RESEARCH 29 INVOLVED, ANY PATENTS APPLIED FOR OR LICENSES GRANTED BASED ON THE SBIR 30 RESEARCH INVOLVED, AN ABSTRACT OF THE SBIR PHASE I AND II WORK PERFORMED 31 BY NEW YORK FIRMS, AND ANY OTHER INFORMATION PERTINENT IN EVALUATING THE 32 PROGRAM. 33 6. THE FOUNDATION SHALL CONDUCT A PROGRAM TO INFORM SMALL BUSINESSES 34 OF THE FEDERAL SBIR PROGRAM AND THIS NEW YORK STATE PROGRAM IN ORDER TO 35 ENSURE THAT ALL FIRMS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE 36 PROGRAMS. 37 7. THE FOUNDATION SHALL FACILITATE AND PROMOTE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 38 JOINT SMALL BUSINESS-UNIVERSITY TECHNOLOGY COUNCILS AT THE CENTERS FOR 39 ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND OTHER UNIVERSITIES WITHIN THE STATE WHEREBY 40 SMALL FIRMS AND UNIVERSITY EXPERTS CAN FACILITATE THE TRANSFER OF TECH- 41 NOLOGY AND WORK TOGETHER ON RESEARCH PROJECTS RELATED TO THE SBIR 42 PROGRAM OR OTHER RESEARCH PROJECTS OF MUTUAL INTEREST. 43 8. THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE EFFECTIVE IF, AND AS LONG 44 AS, FEDERAL FINANCIAL PARTICIPATION IS AVAILABLE THEREFOR PURSUANT TO 45 THE SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1982. 46 S 3. Section 3102-c of the public authorities law is REPEALED. 47 S 4. For the purposes of the small business innovation research 48 program, the New York state foundation for science, technology and inno- 49 vation shall be deemed a continuation of the New York state science and 50 technology foundation, repealed pursuant to chapter 624 of the laws of 51 1999. Any and all contracts entered into between any small business and 52 such foundation in effect upon the effective date of this act shall 53 remain in effect pursuant to the terms of such contracts and shall be 54 binding upon such foundation. 55 S 5. This act shall take effect immediately.