January 07, 2013 03:01 PM UTC

Hickenlooper, Colorado House Announce High-Tech Grant Legislation

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• by: Colorado Pols

More focus on economic development announced today from the incoming Democratic-controlled Colorado House, Gov. John Hickenlooper, and even some cooperative Republicans. As FOX 31’s Eli Stokols reports this afternoon after a press conference:

The legislation, introduced at the Capitol Monday by Gov. John Hickenlooper and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, supports the state’s advanced industries, which include bioscience, aerospace, electronics and information technology with grants ranging from $150,000 for research and development to $500,000 for infrastructure funding.

The governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade would manage the grant program.

Incoming Democratic House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, called the proposal, dubbed the Advanced Industries Accelerator Act, a “strategic investment in economic development.”

Supporters of the bill say they want to take advantage of the research institutions and federal labs in Colorado to spur collaboration with private-sector funders.

Stokols reports the Democratic sponsor will be Rep. Dave Young, and Republican Rep. Cheri Gerou will co-sponsor. With this bill, both the incoming Democratic-led House and Senate have announced clean “jobs and economy” legislation as their lead-off agenda items.

Given the inevitably high profile of civil unions, and other bills whose passage was made a certainty by the GOP’s loss of the House, making jobs the first big push is a smart idea.