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House Bill 1188 |
House Author: Morrison |
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Effective: 9-1-07 |
Senate Sponsor: Shapiro et al. |
House Bill 1188 amends provisions of the Government Code relating to the Texas emerging technology fund and its three components. The bill authorizes the fund to be used for expenses in connection with administration of the fund by the office of the governor. It requires 16.67 percent, rather than 25 percent, of the remaining amount in the fund to be allocated for research award matching and requires 33.33 percent, rather than 25 percent, to be allocated for acquisition of research superiority. It requires 50 percent to be allocated for incentives for commercialization activities, rather than for incentives to create regional centers of innovation and commercialization, and authorizes no more than two percent of that allocation to be invested directly in the regional centers to support commercialization activities. The bill defines the term "award" for purposes of allocating money from the fund for each of these components and authorizes the governor to make awards in the form of loans. The bill adds an activity that has the potential to result in a breakthrough in the area of clean energy to the proposals and programs that are required to receive priority for funding under each component. House Bill 1188 renames the Texas Emerging Technology Committee as the Texas Emerging Technology Advisory Committee and revises the list of persons who are authorized to nominate a person to the committee. The bill requires the committee to review and consider, rather than solicit and identify, proposals in connection with acquisition of research superiority and provides that a contract in connection with incentives for commercialization activities is between a person and the office of the governor, rather than the committee.