The advancement of technology has created valuable new opportunities for businesses, job growth and economic stimulus for our Commonwealth. It is imperative that Pennsylvania’s legislative and regulatory climate, at the state and local level, encourages access to enhanced technology for all Pennsylvania residents and employers, and allows the technology sector to grow and thrive while balancing community priorities. Policymakers should also encourage the expansion and location of technology-oriented companies by enhancing the attractiveness of the Commonwealth.
In addition, Pennsylvania’s life sciences and biotechnology industries have driven significant economic growth in the Commonwealth and employ over a hundred thousand Pennsylvanians in manufacturing, research and development and other capacities. Public policy should encourage the continued strength and expansion of these sectors.
The Pennsylvania Chamber further supports:
- Efforts to coordinate development and implementation of technology infrastructure for all Pennsylvanians, including fostering a positive tax and regulatory climate that encourages private investment in rural broadband while ensuring scarce public resources are not used to overbuild or compete with private sector investment;
- State agencies establishing a plan to encourage and facilitate technology transfers among academia, state and federal government agencies, military and private industry;
- Innovations that encourage companies to invest in and use the newest technologies and attract technology-oriented companies to the Commonwealth;
- Public policy, and tax policy in particular, that fosters an environment conducive to technology-focused venture capitalism and technology startups, including items such as raising or eliminating the cap on carrying forward net operating losses;
- Balanced and reasonable cyber-security measures that protect consumers and industry without imposing on Pennsylvania’s businesses any onerous mandates or costs;
- Regular review and, when appropriate and possible, elimination of impediments, such as excessive taxes and regulations, to the technology industries that may hinder their ability to compete in today’s global marketplace;
- Promote statewide policies that streamline and reduce costs for the permitting and siting of technology infrastructure;
- Effective economic development programs that recognize and support technology as a critical aspect of business development in a global economy;
- The promotion of e-permitting to streamline and simplify the regulatory compliance process for citizens and businesses; and
- A robust, efficient Health Information Exchange infrastructure that allows Pennsylvania's high quality health care system to share information in a transparent, secure manner in order to enhance the delivery and outcome of health care services.
The PA Chamber urges policymakers to carefully consider potential unintended consequences of creating new bureaucracy to oversee technology infrastructure development. State policymakers should further refrain from adopting public policy more burdensome or stringent than Federal policy, which could hurt Pennsylvania’s competitiveness. Moreover, it should generally be the policy of government to defer to the private sector on the creation and operation of technology infrastructures, and encourage the public sectors to use technology to increase the efficiencies and effectiveness of their operations.
