Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli (D-Syracuse) announced Assembly passage of bi-partisan legislation he sponsored that would improve the accountability of the state’s economic development efforts (A.6633-A). The bill, known as the "Research and Development Accountability Act of 2005" will monitor and track the state’s Center of Excellence Program.

"The state makes significant public investments in research and development that are intended to help transform research into technological innovations leading to business development and job growth," said Magnarelli. "This legislation will help to ensure accountability when it comes to taxpayer money being spent on major high-tech capital projects. I urge the Senate to pass this legislation and for the governor to sign it into law immediately."

Magnarelli’s legislation would require the State Urban Development Corporation to submit comprehensive annual reports to the governor and the Legislature on the use of funds dedicated to the Center of Excellence Program. The reports would include a description of the activities undertaken by the CoE Program, as well as academic and business participants in each of the Centers’ activities and the total number of jobs created in New York as a result of the state funds.

This legislation follows the recent site dedication of the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems. The state has committed $25.5 million to the construction of this new facility and approximately $44 million overall to the Center of Excellence in Syracuse. The Syracuse Center is one of several Centers of Excellence statewide including sites in Albany, Rochester, Buffalo and Long Island that are focusing on critical emerging high-tech fields.

"The bottom line is we need smart economic development policies to lead New York’s economy into the future," said Magnarelli. "By evaluating the performance, efficiency and effectiveness of our state supported research and development activities we will be able to determine if the economic goals of this state are being met."