Memo to Legislature on MassTrack Technology Votes for 2006 Session

MEMORANDUM
To: Members of the Massachusetts General Court
From: Christopher R. Anderson, President
Date: April 26, 2006
Re: MassTrack Technology Votes for 2006 Session 

In March, we introduced you to MassTrack, a new online tool created by the Mass. High Technology Council to measure the support by you and your colleagues for the technology community’s public policy priorities.  (See attached memo).

MassTrack recently introduced the ranking of each of the state’s 351 cities and towns based on factors taken into account by technology employers when considering site location.

The legislative rankings – based on weighted assessment votes that are linked to the importance of the issues assigned to it by the state’s technology employers via our annual CEO survey – will be released this summer, after the legislative session ends.  A list of the Council’s policy priorities is available on our website at www.mhtc.org. 

The following are issues that we expect to include in the MassTrack legislative scorecard this year, and are each considered a “MassTrack Technology Vote.”  

Economic Policy

House Bill 4429 – MHTC Position: Support - The House version of the Economic Stimulus II contains a $10 million appropriation for the matching grant fund at the John Adams Innovation Institute.  Three significant federal grant awards for the University of Massachusetts were made possible in part due to state matching funds, including the $2 million grant from JAII that helped land the $16 National Science Foundation grant for nanotechnology research at UMASS Amherst.  While there are many important initiatives in the Economic Stimulus II legislation, this is the Council’s priority. MassTrack will measure whether or not the $10 million for JAII becomes law this session and which legislators supported its passage.

Education Policy

House Bill 4000 (Amendment 1520) – MHTC Position: Oppose – This amendment would change the funding mechanism for charter schools and harm educational competitiveness in the Commonwealth.  MassTrack will measure how members vote on this harmful amendment.

Senate Bill 2320 – MHTC Position: Support – This critical Turnaround Schools legislation, sponsored by Senator Baddour, provides a plan to help students in districts with the greatest need for educational improvement.  MassTrack will measure whether this important bill becomes law this session and who in the Legislature supported its passage.

House Bill 4375 – MHTC Position: Support Math/Science Education – Governor Romney’s Education Reform bill has a strong focus on improving math and science instruction in our public schools in an effort for Massachusetts to compete in a global economy.  We are currently in discussion with legislative leaders, administration officials, teaching unions and employers on how to strengthen the state’s commitment to attracting, retaining and training the best teachers in math and science.  MassTrack will measure progress made by the Legislature in providing a greater focus on competitiveness in math and science education, either through the passage of the Governor’s bill or other legislation.

Health Care

House Bill 4850 – MHTC Position: Support Transparency Language – The most important result of the recently approved health care reform legislation was the creation of a better state system to promote greater transparency for health care cost and quality data.  MassTrack will measure support for transparency throughout the process of the health care bill becoming law.

As additional MassTrack Technology Votes arise before the close of formal sessions this summer, we will inform you through direct communications, including written correspondences that will include the new MassTrack vote logo at the top of this page.  Whenever this logo is included in correspondence, you should expect that the outcome for that particular issue will be reflected in the legislative rankings this summer.

Just as the release of our municipal rankings has spawned a series of constructive conversations with community officials, we hope MassTrack will be a valuable tool for you as well.  We look forward to working with you and your communities to help support the state’s diverse technology economy.

Please feel free to contact me or Council Vice President Cort Boulanger on this matter.