Economic Development (09/22/2005)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Date:	09/22/2005	ATTENDANCE

Time:	09:35 AM to 03:44 PM	Bacon	X
		Evans	*
Place:	HCR 0112	Lindstrom	X
		Massey	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Tapia	*
	Representative Borodkin	Borodkin	X

This Report was prepared by
	Jason Schrock
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Interim Committee on Economic Development Higher Education and the Future of Colo.'s Economy Preparing for Math and Science-Related Careers University Research and Economic Development Education & Technology Transfer to the Marketplace Technical and Career Education Northern Colorado Econ. Development Council Report Union Apprenticeship Program Technical Training in the Aviation Industry College Access and Success in Colorado Interim Committee on the School Finance System Interim Committee on Rural Economic Development Committee Discussion and Recommendations		- - - - - - - - - - - - -

09:33 AM

Representative Borodkin, chair, called the meeting to order. Committee members present were Senator Bacon, Representative Lindstrom, and Representative Massey. Senators Evans and Tapia arrived later. Advisory board members present were Ms. Carolyn Siegel, Ms. Marguerite Salazar, Ms, Carla Perez, and Mr. Tony Robinson. Legislative Council Staff present were Mr. Josh Harwood and Mr. Jason Schrock. Ms. Nicole Hoffman, Office of Legislative Legal Services, was also present. Representative Borodkin discussed the importance of education to economic and workforce development. A summary of the advisory board's discussions and recommendations from its August 25th meeting was distributed to the committee (Attachment A).

09:36 AM -- Higher Education and the Future of Colorado's Economy, Dr. Tom Clark, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center

Dr. Tom Clark, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, began his presentation on higher education and the future of Colorado's economy. A copy of his presentation, including data on higher education and the Colorado economy is provided as Attachment B. He discussed some characteristics of Colorado. Half of Colorado's population is employed, two percent of the population is in college, and less than a half of a percent of the population are undertaking graduate studies. He explained that higher education plays only a partial role in the economy and that any investments in higher education should be strategic. He discussed the importance of a strong economic "base" for Colorado. An economic base involves companies that produce products and services that are sold outside of the state which bring in new money. The stronger the state's economic base, the greater opportunity there is for all Coloradans, including people with less education. He believed that good economic development policies involve two things: the generation of new wealth and the management of wealth to ensure that it is distributed reasonably and fairly so that it provides a foundation for further economic growth. He stated that policy makers have a limited capacity to move the economy in certain directions.

Dr. Clark stated that the Colorado economy is relatively strong. However, some industries are cyclical, while some are undergoing long term changes, which the state has little control over. He stated that higher education is an important factor in the economy and that Colorado has invested well in its institutions. The main reasons for state investments in higher education are to produce an educated workforce and to produce ideas that become consumer services and products.

09:47 AM

Dr. Clark discussed his study in the early 1990s that looked at the relationship between higher education and the economy. The study found that there were relatively small short-term beneficial impacts of investing in higher education. Colorado higher education consists mostly of public institutions, compared to other states with more private institutions. He explained that funding for higher education should be coordinated with the needs of the economy. The state needs to do a better jobs of ensuring that skilled workers who are educated in the state become employed in the state, and that the products and ideas developed in the state are not all exported to other areas. There is a large number of people from outside the state working in high skill jobs in Colorado. However, the state's capacity to attract outside skilled workers is likely declining. Skilled workers from other countries are increasingly finding more work options outside the United States. He thought that Colorado may decline economically unless it does a better job of educating its citizens.

Dr. Clark continued by explaining that the state does not do an adequate job overall of linking the demand for workers and the supply of workers provided by the state's education system. Ms. Carla Perez, advisory board member, stated that there is not a well-coordinated effort between the education field and the transportation industry regarding the industry's workforce needs. Dr. Clark stated that the state needs to think about what the economy should look like in order to help reduce some of the uncertainty regarding what skills are needed. In order to understand where the Colorado economy may be headed and where to invest resources, he has looked at sectors that have done well in the past, as well as current trends regarding which sectors are doing well and have the most economic impact. He stated that it is unclear which entity should help coordinate workforce supply and demand, but that the state should try to nudge its workforce and economy in certain directions depending upon industry trends.

10:12 AM

Ms. Marguerite Salazar, advisory board member, discussed the need for more workers in the medical field, especially in rural areas, and that the education system needs to provide more openings for health professional students. Dr. Clark indicated that more financial resources could help educate more students.

Senator Bacon asked if there are ways to incent younger students to pursue certain fields. Dr. Clark thought that part of the answer is that the state needs to do a better job of providing strategic financial aid for students in critical fields rather than need-based aid. Employers could also involve more students in the workplace while they study. The state also needs to help ensure that there are sufficient employers to hire the workers that are trained in Colorado. He explained that current policies are not sufficient and that the state needs a more strategic approach to provide a strong economic base for Colorado.

Senator Bacon discussed the benefits of the community college workforce training program and wondered if the program could be expanded to other higher education institutions. He thought that other countries provide incentives to students who are studying in certain sectors. The state should not just trust that individuals will pursue employment that benefits the economy. He mentioned that the Northern Colorado Economic Development Council has conducted some research on the issue of the coordination between business and education that could be used as a starting point to develop a program for the state.

Representative Massey discussed his concerns regarding the possibility of too much centralization to achieve coordination between workforce supply and demand.

Representative Borodkin discussed the need to continue the economic development committee in some form so that it could continue its study and discussions. Dr. Clark concluded by stating that the state should judge higher education by what comes out, not what the state puts in.

10:27 AM -- Preparing Colorado's Workforce for Math and Science-Related Careers, Ms. Midge Cozzens, Colorado Institute of Technology

Ms. Midge Cozzens, President, Colorado Institute of Technology (CIT), discussed preparing Colorado's workforce for math and science-related careers. She provided information on science and technology workforce issues (Attachment B). She explained that the CIT was created to bring business and higher education closer together. She explained her initiative to meet with businesses who use technology across the state to see if there was a disconnect between what was needed by businesses and what was being supplied by higher education. She found that some industries have identified severe workforce shortages in the future, such as the aerospace industry, in which 80 percent of the workforce is currently eligible for retirement. The industry is putting a lot of resources toward its workforce shortage problem. There will be 90,000 aerospace jobs that will need to be filled in 2010. There are only 35 freshmen computer scientist majors at Colorado State University; other schools also do not have a large number of students studying technology-related fields. She explained that other states have the same anticipated workforce shortage problems and that states will compete with each other for workers. The fast growing energy industry also has a lot of workers eligible for retirement. There is a lot of competition for mechanical engineers among science and technology-related industries.

Ms. Cozzens continued by indicating that the higher education system needs more resources to hire professors and that the state needs to attempt to get more younger students interested in math and science. Also, parents are discouraging math and science careers. She discussed a CIT initiative called "Cooperative Education in Colorado" (Attachment C) that allows students to alternate between academic study and paid employment. The CIT is working with eight institutions of higher education to coordinate cooperative education programs. She commented that the number of women in computer science education has significantly decreased.

Senator Evans discussed a cooperative education program at Colorado State University that could be used as a model. He also commented that higher education should be careful in working with K-12 education on attracting students into certain fields of study because of their different approaches to teaching. Senator Evans discussed his concerns about providing career education to younger people in K-12 education.

10:51 AM -- University Research and Economic Development, Dr. John Trefney, Colorado School of Mines

Dr. Trefney, President, Colorado School of Mines (CSM), discussed research at the CSM. A copy of the CSM 2004-2014 strategic plan was distributed to the committee (Attachment D). He stated that the research and development capacity of the country - partially fueled by higher education - has helped the United States become an economic leader, but that the country is losing ground to the rest of the world, especially in the high technology fields. He discussed promising areas of economic development, such as high technology, the energy industry, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and the environment. He stated that the development of these industries will be aided by university research. He discussed some examples of research being performed by the CSM and its benefits to the economy. He discussed the importance of primary jobs to an economy. He commented that universities have a role and a responsibility in research and in developing the research agenda for society that is in the public's interest. He explained the expensive cost of research and that federal funding does not provide enough resources. The CSM has had to provide some funding for a new research building, which has attracted research. He discussed the need for university research to remain objective.

Senator Bacon discussed the lack of money from the state for capital construction, especially for higher education institutions. Universities should not rely on student fees and tuition for capital construction. Representative Borodkin discussed other alternatives sources of money. Dr. Trefney discussed the funding of projects at the CSM. Representative Borodkin commented on the need to get the message out regarding the needs of and importance of universities.

11:08 AM

Senator Evans discussed how private organizations do most of the research of products and services that are used in the commercial marketplace. Dr. Trefney explained that about 40 percent of the CSM's research is funded by private sources. He explained that the CSM has committees of faculty and industries, as well as research centers that partner with private companies to help set the CSM's research agendas. He stated that many private companies are increasingly turning to universities to do their research. He continued by stating that the CSM is struggling to develop a technology transfer program which can develop products to be sold in the commercial marketplace. He stated that most schools only break even with their research programs. Senator Evans expressed his concern with how the CSM determines its research agenda before it puts money into research. Dr. Trefney explained that much of the CSM's research is pursued by faculty and is funded by private and federal grants. The CSM does an analysis of the technology that is most promising for technology transfer.

11:16 AM -- Graduate Education and Technology Transfer to the Marketplace, Ms. Susan Avery, University of Colorado at Boulder, and Mr. David Allen, University of Colorado System

Ms. Susan Avery, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, University of Colorado at Boulder, discussed the synergy that occurs between university research and technology transfer to the marketplace. A copy of a newspaper article discussing technology transfer at the state's universities was distributed to the committee (Attachment E). She indicated that graduate education is very important to university research and to economic development. It helps develop future workers and leaders in the workforce, as well as research skills to fuel innovation. She stated that universities cannot have graduate education without research. She stated that for every $1 invested in research, CU-Boulder generates an additional $3 in federal funding. She explained that large companies, such as Sun Microsystems and Ball Aerospace, have located in Colorado because of its talent pool and research universities. CU research has led to the start up of 45 companies since 1995. CU has a research strength in the aerospace field and is a leader in attracting funds from NASA. In addition, CU research has led to patents and to licensed products. She commented that research in certain industries has had major spin-off effects that has contributed to economic growth. She also discussed how research can be useful for learning how to use Colorado's natural resources. She further discussed the contributions to the economy from graduate education in liberal arts, music, and culture. She explained that the state needs to improve the number of Colorado students going to college, that CU needs to maintain its ranking as a first class university, continue to leverage funding, and seek greater collaborations between the private sector, and the federal and state government. She concluded by discussing how graduate education and research are linked. Research is important to the economy as it helps get ideas and products into the marketplace.

11:25 AM

Mr. Dave Allen, Associate Vice President for Technology Transfer, University of Colorado, discussed how small businesses obtain seed money to get started. They are mostly funded from the federal Small Business Innovation Research Grant Program, venture capital, and wealthy investors. In addition, CU puts money into about five new companies each year from the royalties it earns from products it has helped develop. He explained a federal law that gives universities that receive federal funding the ability to own products and commercialize them. He stated that 85 percent of research money is federal and that only a very small amount comes from the state. He stated that federal research money is used for cutting-edge research. It is not commercially driven. The CU technology transfer program involves working with the business community to evaluate whether research results can be used in the commercial marketplace. In the last three years, the CU technology transfer program has resulted in 133 licenses of new products and 25 new companies. In the last year, the program has generated $27 million in royalties. According to federal law, royalties go to the inventors and also to the universities involved with the research. He commented that some of the largest and fastest growing companies in Colorado only exist because of research and technology created at CU.

Mr. Allen stated that technology transfer requires visionary people in companies to assess how university research can apply to the marketplace.

Senator Evans discussed a group that met in the late 1990s to look at ways to increase private sector funding of university research. Mr. Allen stated that there has been a trend of decreasing private sector funding for research. CU received about 5 percent of its research funding from private sources, while the average for universities is about 7 percent. He discussed policies that states have implemented to increase private funding to reduce the cost of research. Ms. Avery discussed successful policies to help leverage federal funding. Policies need to be implemented in order to streamline intellectual property and contracting issues.

Representative Borodkin discussed the need to continue discussions on how to obtain increased funding for research.

11:41 AM

Mr. Tony Robinson, advisory board member, discussed the need to build economic development strategies that involve the liberal arts. Ms. Avery discussed the need to better communicate the importance of social sciences and humanities in economic development discussions.

11:44 AM -- Technical and Career Education, Ms. Sherri Schneider, Colorado Community College System

Ms. Sherri Schneider, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Community College System, discussed career and technical education's importance to the educational system and the economy. She indicated that career and technical education is provided in a variety of ways and at different levels of the educational system. Career and technical education provides individuals with the needed skills to compete in the global economy. It also provides individuals with real-world work skills. She discussed five key principles of career and technical education: 1) it derives its curriculum, standards, and organizing principles from the workplace; 2) it is a critical and integral component of the total education system, offering career-oriented benefits for all students; 3) it is a critical and integral component of the workforce development system, providing the essential foundation for a thriving economy; 4) it maintains high levels of excellence supported through identification of academic and workplace standards, measurement of performance, and high expectations for participant success; and 5) it is robust and flexible enough to respond to the needs of the multiple educational environments, customers, and levels of specialization. She stated that there are 2200 career and technical education programs in Colorado. She commented that career and technical education is a connector between the content learned in the education system and the workplace.

Ms. Schneider indicated that career and technical programs cost more than other education programs, but that the investments benefit society. Senator Bacon commented that the state may need to invest more in career and technical education. Senator Evans discussed the need for more full-time faculty on campuses. He also commented that there needs to be increased efforts to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses to help them plan for their future, and to help students transition from high school. Ms. Schneider discussed efforts to help students transition from high school to the workplace or to college. A packet of materials on career and technical education was distributed to the committee (Attachment F).

Representative Borodkin commented on the need to continue discussions on how to improve career and technical education in the state.

12:05 PM -- Northern Colorado Economic Development Council Report from Primary Employers

Mr. J.J. Johnston, Northern Colorado Economic Development Council, discussed a research project that interviewed 40 primary employers regarding the business climate of the northern Colorado area (Attachment G). The companies in general recommended that the state make it a priority to invest in education and workforce development. Also, the state should continue to fund economic development incentives and tools. He stated that the survey identified labor shortages in the future.

Senator Bacon discussed the importance of workforce development to the state's economy. Mr. Johnston discussed the decline in federal funding for financial aid and its potential negative impact on higher education. Representative Borodkin commented that recommendations from Mr. Johnston should be forwarded for the committee's final report.

12:10 PM -- Lunch Break

01:33 PM -- Union Apprenticeship Program, Mr. Henry Solano, Business Manager, Pipefitters Local 208

Mr. Henry Solano, Business Manager for the Pipefiiter 208 union, discussed his organization's union apprenticeship program. Representative Borodkin commented on how individuals who do not go to college can have productive careers. Mr. Solano stated that the industry has difficulty keeping some individuals committed to the trade because of its five-year commitment. About 35 to 40 percent of pipefitters drop out of the apprenticeship program in the first year. He stated that it is difficult to recruit individuals into the trade because of society's emphasis on higher education and hi-tech careers. He discussed his organization's efforts to recruit individuals. He also provided information on an Adams County educational consortium formed to help recruit individuals to the skill and technical trades. He stated that the skill and technical trades need to demonstrate to younger students that there are good alternatives to college. Currently, there are more applicants than openings in the apprenticeship program. He commented that there is a lack of resources for training because there is more focus on higher education.

Mr. Solano stated that 48 percent of the members in his union were eligible for retirement which could impact his industry. His industry may consider shortening the time it takes to graduate from the apprenticeship program.

Senator Tapia discussed the need for individuals who are not going to college to apply themselves in order for them to have a good career. He also commented that Pueblo is experiencing a boom in constructions projects and that the state will have to import workers; the state needs to increase its training of Coloradans.

Mr. Solano commented on the high cost to train skilled workers and that the state needs to provide more training opportunities. Representative Borodkin asked Mr. Solano about an Adams County educational consortium and whether Mr. Solano could provide a recommendation for the committee's final report.

Senator Tapia discussed the amount of individuals in the trade industry who use drugs. A brochure from the Pipefitters Local 208 union apprenticeship training program was distributed to the committee (Attachment H). Information on career opportunities in the construction industry from the Independent Electrical Contractors was also distributed to the committee (Attachment I).

02:05 PM -- Technical Training in the Aviation Industry, Mr. Les Lindauer, Emily Griffith Aircraft Training Center

Mr. Les Lindauer, Emily Griffith Aircraft Training Center, discussed the aircraft training center at Emily Griffith Opportunity School. He indicated that one reason that the aircraft company Aviation Technology Group decided to locate its manufacturing plant at Front Range Airport was because it was near the aircraft training center. He discussed the low level of funding of the four technical schools in Colorado. Emily Griffith only receives its revenue from the state higher education budget and from tuition. Decreased funding from the state will decrease access to Emily Griffith. He stated that the opportunity school is trying recruit Denver Public Schools graduates. He stated that it is difficult for low-income students to attend Emily Griffith. The aircraft training center program costs $9,000. Currently, there are only 26 people in the program.

Mr. Lindauer explained the curriculum of the aircraft training program. He stated that the aircraft training center is one of few public programs of its kind left in the country. He discussed a foundation established at the Emily Griffith Opportunity School that provides grants to help students pay for tuition. The school has received some scholarship money from Jeppesen and Frontier Airlines. He indicated that the biggest problem that the school encounters is that there is not a conventional student loan program offered to community colleges. He indicated that there is strong demand for the program and strong demand for aircraft jobs in Colorado. He stated that there is more demand for aviation jobs than graduates from schools in Colorado.

02:22 PM -- College Access and Success in Colorado: Implications for Economic Development, Mr. Spiros Protopsaltis, Director of Research, Office of Jared Polis

Mr. Spiros Protopsaltis, Director of Research, Office of Jared Polis, discussed data on higher education in Colorado. A copy of his presentation was distributed to the committee (Attachment J). College graduates have higher salaries, less unemployment, more civic participation, and better health. Colorado ranks second among states in the percentage of people with bachelor's degrees (35 percent). However, Colorado's level of educational attainment is enhanced by importing human capital from other states. Low-income and minority populations have much lower levels of educational attainment. He continued by stating that out of every 100 Colorado ninth graders, only 20 will finish high school and graduate from a community college or earn a bachelor's degree within six years, below the rate of 28 per 100 in the top performing states. He provided other statistics on Colorado's educational pipeline showing that Colorado is below the national average in educating its own population.

Mr. Protopsaltis continued by discussing college access and success in Colorado and its implications for economic development. He stated that in this decade, 40 percent of job growth will be in jobs requiring at least an associate's degree. In Colorado, over the next 20 years, 63 percent of new jobs will require more than a high school education. He stated that most postsecondary students in Colorado are educated by public higher education, but that the state ranks 48th in funding for higher education on a per-capita personal-income basis. Colorado is the only state that does not provide General Fund support for workforce development programs in the Department of Labor and Employment. Seventy percent of the state's business leaders say that higher education funding situation is critical or very critical.

Mr. Protopsaltis provided recommendations to the committee on how to address Colorado's need to do a better job in educating its students. He explained that Colorado needs to think differently about education due to the changing economy. It needs to move to a preschool through 16 education system (P-16) and there needs to be greater statewide cooperation between P-12th grade education and its higher education systems, with business and industry involvement. He also recommended: universal access to preschool because it plays an important role in determining success in life; better tracking of student achievement throughout a student's educational career; the promotion of dual enrollment to allow students to stay in school and get a head start in college; exploring more financing structures to increase financial aid to encourage college enrollment; more outreach efforts; upgrading teacher preparation and professional development; and providing more support to low-income college students because many of these students drop out of college their first year. He also recommended: evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of ongoing workforce development programs and job training tax credits, increasing state investment in high-growth and high-skilled education and training programs; promoting R&D partnerships in emerging growth areas; and making quality of workforce and quality of public education systems the central focus of economic development policies. He explained that change requires all stakeholders to work together.

Representative Borodkin discussed the need for more communication and cooperation among various groups regarding how to improve the state's educational system.

Mr. Protopsaltis discussed first steps other states have taken to generate more communication and cooperation toward moving toward a P-16 system, such as a P-16 council, a single department of education, and private-public partnerships.

02:37 PM -- Report from the Interim Committee on the School Finance�System, Senator Sue Windels, Chair, Committee on the School Finance System

Senator Sue Windels, Chair, Committee on the School Finance System, came to the table to discuss her committee's activities. She discussed financing K-12 education in the state. The committee has found that the state's K-12 educational system is being underfunded by 12 to 15 percent. She discussed the TABOR and Gallagher amendments impact on school finance. Mr. Protopsaltis discussed the need to look at the funding of education, but stated that some of his recommendations can occur without funding increases. The state needs to have better coordination and partnerships between K-12 education and higher education.

Senator Tapia commented that early college high schools could be a good policy that the state could implement. He also discussed the importance of a good education system to other trades that do not require a college degree. Mr. Protopsaltis stated that the P-16 educational concept focuses on providing skills training; students do not necessarily need to have a college degree. He stated that the goal of the P-16 concept is to cause more students to obtain more than a high school degree so that they can better compete in the new economy.

02:59 PM

Senator Windels stated that one of the recommendations discussed by the committee is the P-16 concept. She explained that the state needs to provide students with the opportunity to have a seamless transition between high school and vocational education or college. She discussed the basic goals that the state should have for funding education, including: increasing the base funding for schools; providing funding for full-day kindergarten; providing preschool to every at-risk four-year-old; and providing an opportunity for students to get college credits during high school.

Representative Massey commented on the need to consider that 18- and 19-year-olds may not know the career direction in which they want to go.

Senator Bacon discussed how people are moving from career to career more often and going back to school. He also commented on the funding for colleges and universities through stipends and that it could have a negative impact on higher education and the economy if funding is reduced.

03:10 PM -- Report from the Interim Committee on Rural�Economic Development Issues, Representative Mary Hodge, Chair, Committee on Rural Economic Development Issues

Representative Mary Hodge, Chair, Committee on Rural Economic Development Issues, discussed the issues in rural Colorado discussed by her committee, such as the lack of access to technology infrastructure, lack of quality jobs, the difficulty of retaining and recruiting businesses, the estate tax, the difficulty of complying with the federal No Child Left Behind Act, health care costs, the need for better transportation, and an insufficient amount of transmission lines. She indicated that the committee has had strong turnout when it met in different parts of the state. She stated that the committee has found that there are no easy answers or a one-size-fits all approach to rural economic development issues. The committee also heard about the potential benefits of developing the renewable energy industry in rural Colorado, such as the renewable energy sources of canola in the San Luis Valley and corn in eastern Colorado.

Representative Borodkin discussed the need to get the chairs of all interim committees together because the committees are all related. She also discussed the difficulty of retaining and recruiting businesses in rural Colorado. Representative Lindstrom discussed the use of ethanol subsidies in Iowa. He also commented on how most economic development occurs along I-25 which has caused infrastructure problems; the state needs to spread its economy into rural Colorado. He stated that Colorado needs to have a master plan so that different industries can be placed into different areas of the state.

Senator Tapia discussed water problems associated with economic development; some industries do not want to move where water is abundant because the areas do not have other necessary infrastructure.

Representative Hodge commented on the committee's potential recommendations to jumpstart the renewable energy industry in Colorado.

Representative Borodkin discussed the impact of free trade agreements on states and that the agreements are being accepted by state governors without legislative input. Ms. Carolyn Siegel, advisory board member, discussed the impacts of free trade agreements on the agricultural industry.

Representative Massey discussed how the Gallagher Amendment is negatively impacting rural businesses' property taxes.

03:30 PM -- Committee Discussion and Recommendations

Representative Borodkin began the discussions on committee recommendations. Senator Bacon indicated that it may be difficult to come up with legislation at this point, but he stated that discussions on the issues should continue beyond the committee. He discussed that there are things that the state should not do and that the state should have a list for long-term goals. He noted that the state needs to do a better job of knowing how enterprise zones are working and needs to continue to look at funding for education Colorado citizens.

Representative Borodkin indicated that the Office of Economic Development and International Trade is putting together information on enterprise zones to the committee. She also discussed the need to have a permanent economic development committee.

Representative Massey indicated that he would like to carry his film incentive bill again this session to encourage more films in Colorado. The legislation was watered down considerably last session.

Senator Bacon again discussed the need to create a list of economic development programs and policies that the state should not eliminate, what it could modify, and long term economic development goals.

Representative Borodkin discussed her preliminary ideas for legislation, such as an economical development incentive accountability bill and an underutilized business bill.

Representative Massey explained the need to look more closely at the economic impacts of legislation. Representative Lindstrom discussed the need for the committee to be economic development advocates for the state. Representative Borodkin stated that Mr. Tom Clark, advisory board member, discussed the need for a long range economic development plan.

03:44 PM

The committee adjourned.