Utah Technology Council Celebrates Accomplishment of Nine of its Ten Legislative Priorities

UTC Members rally in support of Engineering Initiative, USTAR, and Secret Ballot

SALT LAKE CITY– March 25, 2009– Recently, the Utah Technology Council (UTC) and its members played a vital role in several Utah Legislative actions. Of the ten legislative priorities on the UTC’s agenda, nine were successful.

“Our membership really responded to our legislative action alert emails with calls and emails to their legislators,” stated Terry Bagley, co-chair of the UTC’s Public Policy Forum and CEO of Salt Lake-based Centershift. “This was especially the case with H.J.R. 8 Secret Ballot, which required a two-thirds majority in both houses. Our high-tech and life science members helped make the difference in the voting on that important resolution.”

The key items that UTC supported included:

House Joint Resolution 8 Regarding Secret Ballot that is vital in protecting Utah businesses and working families. This resolution was a proposed amendment to Utah’s Constitution to reaffirm and protect the right to vote by secret ballot, and it successfully passed. UTC opposed H.B. 450 Trademark Amendments which resulted in a No Vote in the Senate because it was determined there were significant issues that may adversely impact Utah’s technology sector and its image as a business-friendly state. Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative Amendments (USTAR), which has demonstrated a return on investment of positive inflow of federal and industry-sponsored research dollars and is ahead of schedule in achieving milestones that will lead to significant growth in Utah's economy, was granted $33 million from the federal stimulus package. The Engineering Initiative was funded with existing funding within the State of Board of Regents at the current FY 2009 level plus two million dollars in one-time funding.

The Engineering Initiative remains a critical component to the success of the state of Utah. “The Utah Technology Council was extremely effective in communicating to the Governor and legislators the importance of engineering to the state's economy,” said Richard Brown, Dean of the College of Engineering, University of Utah. “With Engineering Initiative support, the University of Utah has achieved a growth of 69% in engineering degrees granted and a doubling of engineering-related research to $50,400,000 per year.”

UTC considers each of these legislative priorities critical to Utah’s future success. See http://www.utahtechcouncil.org/publicpolicy/2009/2009_high_priorities_summary_rev2_.pdf for more on UTC’s 2009 priorities.

 

About Utah Technology Council

Utah’s premier professional association, the Utah Technology Council, has become the essential business resource for life science and high-tech companies seeking to achieve greater success. At its core, UTC exists to foster the Growth of the state’s 5,300 technology companies, ensure Utah develops the highest Quality Workforce in the nation, and attract an ever-increasing array of Funding. Members join UTC to share insights with industry peers, counsel with government and academic leaders, and receive help from professional service providers and funding resources. To become a member of this “must join” organization, visit www.utahtechcouncil.org or call 801-568-3500 today.

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PR Contacts:
UTC Contact:
Judy Young
T) 801-568-3500
jyoung@utahtechcouncil.org

PR Agency Contact:
Cheryl Snapp Conner
Managing Partner
P-801 994-9625
C-801 376-2158
cheryl@snappconner.com

| 3/25/2009 11:50:57 AM | 0 Comments