04/10/2017 09:00 AM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

                SCR 10-ALASKA YEAR OF INNOVATION                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:04:14 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR COSTELLO announced the consideration of SCR 10. She asked                                                                 
Mr. Eiler to share the background leading to the resolution.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:04:25 AM                                                                                                                    
WESTON EILER, Staff to Senator Mia Costello, sponsor of SCR 10,                                                                 
introduced the legislation on behalf of the sponsor, speaking to                                                                
the following sponsor statement:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Senate Concurrent Resolution 10  would proclaim 2018 as                                                                    
     the Year  of Innovation in Alaska.  Innovation has been                                                                    
     a constant  theme throughout the  first session  of the                                                                    
     30th  Alaska Legislature.  Whether growing  our state's                                                                    
     economy,  harnessing  technology to  improve  Alaskans'                                                                    
     quality of  life, or modernizing state  government in a                                                                    
     tough fiscal  environment; innovation can  help address                                                                    
     challenges facing Alaska.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Alaskans  are innovators  by  tradition and  necessity.                                                                    
     The pioneering spirit that founded  and built our state                                                                    
     is rooted  in innovation. These range  from engineering                                                                    
     marvels  that  built  early mines,  railroads  and  the                                                                    
     Trans-Alaska  Pipeline, to  public  policies that  have                                                                    
     transformed  life  in  our state  such  as  the  Alaska                                                                    
     Permanent Fund and Community Development Quotas.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Collaboration between  regional and  statewide economic                                                                    
     development     groups,    universities,     investors,                                                                    
     businesses  and  entrepreneurs  has  helped  create  an                                                                    
     innovation community  in Alaska.  Aligning stakeholders                                                                    
     around   collective  action   helps  engage   the  next                                                                    
     generation of Alaskan  entrepreneurs. Events such UAF's                                                                    
     Arctic Innovation  Competition, the  Innovation Summit,                                                                    
     Alaska   Startup   Week,   and   the   Launch:   Alaska                                                                    
     accelerator  create  an  ecosystem for  innovation  and                                                                    
     help bring new ideas to market.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Innovation and  entrepreneurship are crucial  for long-                                                                    
     term  economic  development and  diversifying  Alaska's                                                                    
     economy.  The  National  Bureau  of  Economic  Research                                                                    
     reports that net job creation  is driven by startups --                                                                    
     creating  an average  of three  million jobs  annually.                                                                    
     Alaska's  current fiscal  climate calls  for innovative                                                                    
     solutions,  as seen  in the  work  of many  legislative                                                                    
     committees  and formation  of  a bipartisan,  bicameral                                                                    
     Innovation Caucus.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Proclaiming 2018  as the Year  of Innovation  in Alaska                                                                    
     raises the level of this  discussion and highlights how                                                                    
     creativity  can improve  our  state. Senate  Concurrent                                                                    
     Resolution 10 directs the  attention of Alaskans toward                                                                    
     out-of-the-box thinking,  creating a culture  in Alaska                                                                    
     where innovation and entrepreneurship are accepted and                                                                     
     encouraged.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR.  EILER  highlighted  that  over the  last  three  years  this                                                               
committee has  heard from  individuals who  were speaking  at the                                                               
Innovation  Summit  put on  by  the  Juneau Economic  Development                                                               
Corporation.  These   include  Harvard  business   professor  Dr.                                                               
Christian Ketels who  briefed the committee about  the concept of                                                               
economic clusters  and the  need for  a strategy;  Michael Shuman                                                               
who highlighted some of the  benefits of crowdfunding; and Robert                                                               
Tucker who talked  about innovation being everyone's  job. One of                                                               
Mr. Tucker's  suggestions was  to declare  a year  of innovation,                                                               
which is what this resolution proposes.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Providing historical context, he  reminded the committee that the                                                               
  th                                                                                                                            
29   Alaska Legislature  passed HCR  5 that  proclaimed 2015-2017                                                               
                                             th                                                                                 
the Years of the Arctic. Before that, the  26  Alaska Legislature                                                               
declared 2009  the year of  the Noncommissioned Officer,  and the                                                               
  th                                                                                                                            
24    Alaska   Legislature   proclaimed   2005   to   be   Rotary                                                               
International Year.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
He  mentioned the  innovations the  committee has  recently heard                                                               
about and opined  that this resolution will  help advance out-of-                                                               
the-box thinking,  ensuring that Alaska develops  a culture where                                                               
innovation and entrepreneurship is encouraged.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:10:11 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR COSTELLO  stated that she  would hold SCR 10  in committee.                                                               
She asked  the members to  pay special attention to  the language                                                               
on  page  1,  line  16  through  page  2,  lines  1-3  and  offer                                                               
suggestions  for  changes  or  additions.   She  noted  that  the                                                               
commissioner of  education is  particularly excited  about naming                                                               
2018 the Year of Innovation