By Ellis S.C.R. No. 9
76R2722 JLZ-D
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, In September 1996, recognizing the increasing
1-2 importance of science and technology businesses in generating much
1-3 of the nation's economic growth and job creation, Governor George
1-4 W. Bush established the Texas Science and Technology Council to
1-5 review the state's science and technology industries, identify
1-6 factors critical to their growth, and develop a long-term plan to
1-7 encourage science and technology development in Texas; and
1-8 WHEREAS, The impact of science and technology on our economy
1-9 cannot be underestimated; while advancements in these fields have
1-10 helped create new industries in the state, from computer
1-11 manufacturing and software development to information services,
1-12 biotechnology, and aerospace, many of the state's traditional
1-13 industries, including the agriculture, chemicals, and petroleum
1-14 industries, also have become heavily dependent on new technologies
1-15 to boost and improve production; and
1-16 WHEREAS, These developments have allowed Texas'
1-17 technology-related industries to grow at about twice the rate of
1-18 the state's economy as a whole and made Texas the nation's leading
1-19 employer of high technology workers and the second largest employer
1-20 in the computer, microelectronics, and telecommunications
1-21 industries, with an economic impact spread out across the state,
1-22 from Lubbock and El Paso to the Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, Houston,
1-23 and San Antonio metropolitan areas; and
1-24 WHEREAS, While numerous public and private sector
2-1 organizations, task forces, and panels in Texas have promoted
2-2 science and technology development over the past decades, their
2-3 valuable efforts have been short-lived, and none has developed into
2-4 a long-term, sustainable organization capable of providing constant
2-5 leadership, advice, and direction for the legislature in particular
2-6 and for the state's economic development as a whole; and
2-7 WHEREAS, To fill this need for continuity, the Texas Science
2-8 and Technology Council has recommended the establishment of a
2-9 permanent, private sector driven, privately funded Texas Institute
2-10 of Science and Technology to provide this leadership, advice, and
2-11 direction, and to identify, support, and promote science and
2-12 technology-based opportunities for Texas; and
2-13 WHEREAS, Envisioned by the Texas Science and Technology
2-14 Council as a nonprofit corporation with strong ties to industry,
2-15 government, and the education community, the proposed institute
2-16 would be a vital public-private collaborative effort receiving
2-17 input from the state's key technology industry sectors and economic
2-18 subregions to develop statewide technology initiatives addressing
2-19 every stage of the technology life cycle, from research to
2-20 commercialization, for the benefit of all Texans; now, therefore,
2-21 be it
2-22 RESOLVED, That the 76th Legislature of the State of Texas
2-23 hereby endorse the establishment of the Texas Institute of Science
2-24 and Technology as an appropriate vehicle for providing leadership
2-25 in the identification and promotion of science and technology-based
2-26 economic opportunities for the state; and, be it further
2-27 RESOLVED, That the legislature grant this endorsement with
3-1 the understanding that the institute will be wholly privately
3-2 funded and will not require the allocation of state resources or
3-3 assets such as facilities or infrastructure, except that the Texas
3-4 Higher Education Coordinating Board is hereby authorized to work
3-5 with the private sector participants in the institute's
3-6 establishment.