Working in Partnership to Create Jobs

By Elaine Alquist

The private sector--not government--is the engine of job creation in Santa Clara County.

As a member of the Revenue and Taxation Committee, I have stood up for high-tech tax relief. In California, technological innovation has created thousands of jobs and improved the quality of life for working families. To ensure our state continues its investment in high-technology, I authored AB2 which allows students to take employer-funded graduate courses without the cost of those courses being considered taxable income.

I have worked with the private sector to streamline unreasonable regulations and fought for a bill which encourages consistency between local, state and federal clean air standards, thereby reducing the high cost of compliance for Silicon Valley companies.

And I have demanded more accountability in state government's procurement and use of computer systems. As Chair of the Assembly Information Technology Committee, I blew the whistle on the problem-plagued Statewide Automated Child Support Systems (SACSS), the largest and most expensive state-run information technology project in history. I helped save California's taxpayers more than $200 million.

Specific legislation I have authored or co-authored includes:

AB2 - Graduate Education Opportunity Act - Allows students to take employer-funded graduate courses without the cost of those courses being considered taxable income, up to $5,250. Status: In Senate Appropriations Committee and funded in State budget.

AB 68 - Increases tax credit for Research and Development (joint author). Status: held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 874 - Year 2000 Fairness and Responsibility Act - Eliminates frivolous lawsuits by requiring alternative dispute resolution prior to filing a lawsuit on Y2K non-compliance. A bill based on this legislation was signed by President Clinton. Status: Assembly Judiciary Committee.

AB 960 - Business Incubator Act - Creates the California Center for Business of the Future that will be divided into three components: The Technology Institute for Public Policy, the Technology Commercialization Center, and the Business Support Center. Status: Assembly Consumer Protection Committee.

SB 705 - Research and development credit - Increases the research and development credit from 11% to 12% of the excess of the qualified research expenses over a specified percentage of the taxpayer's average annual gross receipts for the four preceding income years (principal co-author). Status: signed into law.