From Site Selection magazine, November 2000
S T A T E L E G I S L A T I V E P R O F I L E S |
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Alabama
Gov. Don Siegelman signed a number of pro-business initiatives into law in May following the completion of the Alabama legislative session this spring. Among the major initiatives was a bill to provide US$350 million from the Alabama Trust Fund to finance transportation infrastructure projects. Without raising taxes, the law allocates these funds to pay for needed roads, bridges and revitalized docks throughout Alabama. Also in May, the governor signed legislation providing preference for Alabama businesses in the awarding of public contracts. The bill allows more flexibility in negotiating contracts to save taxpayers' money.
Siegelman also signed into law the E-BAMA bill, which creates the Office of Information Technology as a department of the executive branch of government. Among other things, this new office will develop a long-range statewide plan for technology in Alabama and will be responsible for implementing this plan. To improve the state's quality of life, the governor signed the State Park Bonds bill authorizing the issuance of $110 million in bonds to renovate and upgrade Alabama's parks and historic sites.
Governor: Don Siegelman (D) 334-242-7100
Gov. Tony Knowles signed into law several bills dealing with economic development, transportation infrastructure, educational improvement and rural energy. The most notable bill -- the $6.97 billion budget for fiscal year 2001 -- includes a $1.2 billion capital budget aimed at bringing Alaska's roads, airports and seaports into the 21st century. The bill continues the state's investment in the $350 million Gateway Alaska project, which includes the major reconstruction of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and the transportation links serving it. Meanwhile, House Bill 281, signed into law on June 8, authorizes the state to issue bonds, backed by proceeds from the tobacco lawsuit settlement, to provide financing for Alaska's ports and harbors.
Other initiatives signed by Knowles include a bill to encourage the North Slope gasline project and the historic Power Cost Equalization (PCE) Appropriations Bill. The natural gasline project is projected to generate needed jobs and revenues in the region by encouraging the commercialization of natural gas usage on the North Slope. The PCE bill is designed to promote development in Alaska's rural and remote areas by making energy costs more affordable for the people who live and work there.
Governor: Tony Knowles (D) 907-465-3995
In an effort to provide Arizona businesses with a greater supply of high-tech workers, Gov. Jane Dee Hull on May 3 signed a trio of "New Economy" bills she says will revolutionize the way the state "prepares our economy for the knowledge-based markets of the future." The three bills establish permanent job training to produce knowledge workers, provide tax credits for businesses that offer information technology training for their workers and offer grants to implement economic development strategies in Arizona's high-tech clusters.
Hull also signed the historic Growing Smarter Plus legislation, a measure enacted to curb urban sprawl and manage growth. A wide-sweeping bill that addresses everything from saving open space to allowing counties to charge developers impact fees, the legislation is designed to "preserve lands unique to Arizona" and give local communities greater control of their destiny, the governor said.
In other legislation affecting industry, Hull signed the Education 2000 Bill placing a new education sales tax on the November ballot for public approval. If passed by the voters, the new tax would be used to increase teacher salaries, reduce class sizes, and fund technology development and job training.
Governor: Jane Dee Hull (R) 602-542-4331
On Feb. 16, Gov. Mike Huckabee announced the creation of a statewide information system designed to make the state government operate more efficiently and make information more accessible to businesses and individuals. "This will make state government more efficient and eventually save the taxpayers money," Huckabee said of the $30 million initiative that took effect July 1. "People often talk about running government more like a business. Today, we are actually taking a step in that direction."
The Arkansas Economic Development Dept. complemented this initiative by updating its Internet site as a way to bring more business to the state. The site now comes in four languages: English, French, German and Spanish. Another feature of the site allows local government and chamber of commerce leaders to look at the profiles of companies wanting to relocate. Some 94 companies in Arkansas are linked to the system. The site, www.1800arkansas.com, has protected information that is accessible by password only.
Governor: Mike Huckabee (R) 501-682-2345
Gov. Gray Davis continued California's expansionist mode this year by signing several bills designed to improve the state's infrastructure for business. Most notable was Transportation 2000, a multifaceted bill that provides $3.4 billion toward relieving gridlock in congested commuter corridors, improving road safety, providing better connections between cities and regions, moving goods and products more quickly and efficiently, and providing alternatives to highways where feasible. Some $600 million in unused state cash balances and another $300 million in local gas taxes were earmarked for select road projects.
Davis also enacted a New Economy strategy aimed at advancing California's use of information technology and the Internet. The initiative allocates $75 million a year for four years to the University of California to launch three California Institutes for Science and Innovation, provides funding for Next Generation Internet Application Centers and finances projects to connect California's rural communities to the Internet.
Other major New Economy initiatives provide tax incentives for alternative incremental research and development, aerospace employment and rural investment. In addition, the governor approved a Central Valley Economic Development Plan that pumps more state money into raising employment and economic investment in the eight-county San Joaquin Valley region.
In other pro-business activity, Davis signed into law an historic $1.5 billion tax relief package. The measure provides tax relief primarily to motorists, businesses, seniors and families. Businesses will benefit mostly from the incremental research and development credit and the rural investment sales tax exemption.
Governor: Gray Davis (D) 916-445-2841
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