2007 State Agenda

Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama

.................................................... (334) 242-7100

Jim Folsom, Jr., Lieutenant Governor of Alabama ........................................ (334) 242-7900 Seth Hammett, Speaker of the House ........................................................ (334) 242-7668

Madison County Delegation Senate Hinton Mitchem, President Pro Tempore .................................................. (334) 242-7876 Lowell Barron ........................................................................................ (334) 242-7858 Tom Butler.............................................................................................. (334) 242-7854 Parker Griffith ........................................................................................ (334) 242-7846 Arthur Orr .............................................................................................. (334) 242-7891

House of Representatives Mike Ball .............................................................................................. (334) 242-7683 Laura Hall .............................................................................................. (334) 242-7688 Randy Hinshaw .................................................................................... (334) 242-7733 Mac McCutcheon .................................................................................. (334) 242-7705 Howard Sanderford .............................................................................. (334) 242-4368 Sue Schmitz .......................................................................................... (334) 242-7704 Butch Taylor .......................................................................................... (334) 242-7600

Huntsville/Madison County Legislative Office .......................... (256) 539-5441

Montgomery Information Senate .................................................................................................. (334) 242-7800 House of Representatives .................................................................. (334) 242-7600

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY • 225 CHURCH STREET HUNTSVILLE, AL 35801 • 256-535-2000 • WWW.HUNTSVILLEALABAMAUSA.COM

T

he State of Alabama is an essential partner in the Chamber’s efforts to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth. There are many important opportunities and threats facing our region requiring state support and leadership.

Action on these top-priority state issues will directly impact the economic development of the Huntsville/Madison County area.

Base Realignment and Closure (brac)

■ The Chamber proposes an incentive program to dramatically increase the number of college engineering

students to support Redstone Arsenal’s growth expected as a result of Base Realignment and Closure. This program could include scholarships, housing assistance, co-ops, internships and program management.

■ The Chamber partners with Junior Achievement to help prepare K-12 students to succeed in the global

economy. Junior Achievement programs correlate with the Alabama Course of Study in the areas of language arts, mathematics and socials studies, and also with career tech standards for middle and high school students.

The Chamber supports the statewide partnership between JA and the Alabama Office of Workforce Development.

Local R&D Universities: Provide the Budget Request for Research Universities

Continued direct State support of the regional Tennessee Valley BRAC efforts will be critical as the military consolidates over 4,700 new jobs to Redstone Arsenal. Regional efforts will focus on attracting the current workforce to Northern Alabama and working with the affected Commands and our Congressional delegation to expedite the moves where possible.

The Huntsville/Madison County region is home to a number of the world’s leading centers of science and technology (S&T) including NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, Cummings Research Park, and the newly formed Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology.

Infrastructure

These federal S&T centers receive critical support from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Alabama A&M University. These institutions of higher education also support our high-tech commercial sector, and in the process contribute to workforce development and economic growth that is key to the future of our entire State. Today the partnership between university research and education at these state-funded institutions is producing a large number of high-quality scientists, engineers and business graduates to help staff the ever-increasing needs of our community’s federal partners and our local industry.

It is critical that the State begin construction of the Southern bypass immediately. Growth on the Arsenal and in the surrounding communities will soon choke existing roads. Other high priority projects include the following: ■ Accelerate widening of highway 53 to four lanes ■ Accelerate widening of Winchester Road to five lanes ■ Extend Research Park /Martin Luther King Boulevard to highway 431/231 to service the Toyota project

and as part of the planned Northern Bypass ■ Initiate planning for seven lane widening of US 72 from Huntsville to Athens ■ Fund an interchange on US 72 East at Ryland Pike/Jordan Road

UAH and Alabama A&M conduct cutting-edge research as well as customer-driven applied research.

This research enhances the competitiveness of our community and our state, and along with the associated research facilities, laboratories, and specialized equipment, helps attract and retain leading scholars, researchers and businesses to Alabama. Finally, the commercialization of the intellectual property generated by the universities not only helps drive, but also broadens, our local economic base that is so closely linked to science and technology.

The Chamber respectfully urges our elected representatives to work to ensure that Alabama A&M University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville are provided their full budget requests for the upcoming fiscal year.

Education/Workforce Development Taxation Workforce challenges related to economic development, including the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure consolidation at Redstone require significant investment to attract and develop talent to support our regional economy. For many of the high-demand skills required by Redstone Arsenal and the science, technology and engineering sectors of our economy, national and international competition is at an all-time high.

In order to support and sustain the growth we have achieved, we must take bold measures to ensure that we have the necessary workforce.

■ The Chamber endorses full funding of the Alabama Mathematics, Science and Technology Initiative

(AMSTI) that provides inquiry-based, hands-on math and science instruction to K-12 students and the corresponding professional development and support to teachers.

■ The Chamber supports the recommendations of the Commission on the Alabama School for Space,

Engineering and Technology to increase the number of students pursuing post-secondary education in these high-demand fields by providing targeted secondary education.

■ The Chamber supports efforts to create a Research and Development tax credit for R&D performed in

the State.

■ The Chamber supports double weighting the sales factor in apportioning a company’s revenues,

resulting in a greater incentive for companies to base more of their operations in the State.

Economic Development Policy The current ADO approach to recruitment of mega-projects calls for the local region to fund approximately one third of the monetary incentives in the total incentive package. We encourage ADO to allow more flexibility with this funding approach by giving consideration to local government’s investment in the development of infrastructure or the purchase of land in support of these projects.

T

he State of Alabama is an essential partner in the Chamber’s efforts to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth. There are many important opportunities and threats facing our region requiring state support and leadership.

Action on these top-priority state issues will directly impact the economic development of the Huntsville/Madison County area.

Base Realignment and Closure (brac)

■ The Chamber proposes an incentive program to dramatically increase the number of college engineering

students to support Redstone Arsenal’s growth expected as a result of Base Realignment and Closure. This program could include scholarships, housing assistance, co-ops, internships and program management.

■ The Chamber partners with Junior Achievement to help prepare K-12 students to succeed in the global

economy. Junior Achievement programs correlate with the Alabama Course of Study in the areas of language arts, mathematics and socials studies, and also with career tech standards for middle and high school students.

The Chamber supports the statewide partnership between JA and the Alabama Office of Workforce Development.

Local R&D Universities: Provide the Budget Request for Research Universities

Continued direct State support of the regional Tennessee Valley BRAC efforts will be critical as the military consolidates over 4,700 new jobs to Redstone Arsenal. Regional efforts will focus on attracting the current workforce to Northern Alabama and working with the affected Commands and our Congressional delegation to expedite the moves where possible.

The Huntsville/Madison County region is home to a number of the world’s leading centers of science and technology (S&T) including NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, Cummings Research Park, and the newly formed Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology.

Infrastructure

These federal S&T centers receive critical support from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Alabama A&M University. These institutions of higher education also support our high-tech commercial sector, and in the process contribute to workforce development and economic growth that is key to the future of our entire State. Today the partnership between university research and education at these state-funded institutions is producing a large number of high-quality scientists, engineers and business graduates to help staff the ever-increasing needs of our community’s federal partners and our local industry.

It is critical that the State begin construction of the Southern bypass immediately. Growth on the Arsenal and in the surrounding communities will soon choke existing roads. Other high priority projects include the following: ■ Accelerate widening of highway 53 to four lanes ■ Accelerate widening of Winchester Road to five lanes ■ Extend Research Park /Martin Luther King Boulevard to highway 431/231 to service the Toyota project

and as part of the planned Northern Bypass ■ Initiate planning for seven lane widening of US 72 from Huntsville to Athens ■ Fund an interchange on US 72 East at Ryland Pike/Jordan Road

UAH and Alabama A&M conduct cutting-edge research as well as customer-driven applied research.

This research enhances the competitiveness of our community and our state, and along with the associated research facilities, laboratories, and specialized equipment, helps attract and retain leading scholars, researchers and businesses to Alabama. Finally, the commercialization of the intellectual property generated by the universities not only helps drive, but also broadens, our local economic base that is so closely linked to science and technology.

The Chamber respectfully urges our elected representatives to work to ensure that Alabama A&M University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville are provided their full budget requests for the upcoming fiscal year.

Education/Workforce Development Taxation Workforce challenges related to economic development, including the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure consolidation at Redstone require significant investment to attract and develop talent to support our regional economy. For many of the high-demand skills required by Redstone Arsenal and the science, technology and engineering sectors of our economy, national and international competition is at an all-time high.

In order to support and sustain the growth we have achieved, we must take bold measures to ensure that we have the necessary workforce.

■ The Chamber endorses full funding of the Alabama Mathematics, Science and Technology Initiative

(AMSTI) that provides inquiry-based, hands-on math and science instruction to K-12 students and the corresponding professional development and support to teachers.

■ The Chamber supports the recommendations of the Commission on the Alabama School for Space,

Engineering and Technology to increase the number of students pursuing post-secondary education in these high-demand fields by providing targeted secondary education.

■ The Chamber supports efforts to create a Research and Development tax credit for R&D performed in

the State.

■ The Chamber supports double weighting the sales factor in apportioning a company’s revenues,

resulting in a greater incentive for companies to base more of their operations in the State.

Economic Development Policy The current ADO approach to recruitment of mega-projects calls for the local region to fund approximately one third of the monetary incentives in the total incentive package. We encourage ADO to allow more flexibility with this funding approach by giving consideration to local government’s investment in the development of infrastructure or the purchase of land in support of these projects.

Bob Riley, Governor of Alabama

.................................................... (334) 242-7100

Jim Folsom, Jr., Lieutenant Governor of Alabama ........................................ (334) 242-7900 Seth Hammett, Speaker of the House ........................................................ (334) 242-7668

Madison County Delegation Senate Hinton Mitchem, President Pro Tempore .................................................. (334) 242-7876 Lowell Barron ........................................................................................ (334) 242-7858 Tom Butler.............................................................................................. (334) 242-7854 Parker Griffith ........................................................................................ (334) 242-7846 Arthur Orr .............................................................................................. (334) 242-7891

House of Representatives Mike Ball .............................................................................................. (334) 242-7683 Laura Hall .............................................................................................. (334) 242-7688 Randy Hinshaw .................................................................................... (334) 242-7733 Mac McCutcheon .................................................................................. (334) 242-7705 Howard Sanderford .............................................................................. (334) 242-4368 Sue Schmitz .......................................................................................... (334) 242-7704 Butch Taylor .......................................................................................... (334) 242-7600

Huntsville/Madison County Legislative Office .......................... (256) 539-5441

Montgomery Information Senate .................................................................................................. (334) 242-7800 House of Representatives .................................................................. (334) 242-7600

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY • 225 CHURCH STREET HUNTSVILLE, AL 35801 • 256-535-2000 • WWW.HUNTSVILLEALABAMAUSA.COM