1.1   Preamble

Governors believe that commerce is the engine of economic development and job creation.  Many cylinders power this complex engine, including, but not limited to, capital access, trade and investment, taxation and regulation, research and development and innovation, and collaborations between private firms, academic institutions, federal research laboratories, and the public sector.

The U.S. economy is the collection of metropolitan and non-metropolitan economies interconnected among the states and territories within their geographic borders and, in many cases, regionally.  Rural communities are both within, adjacent to, and independent of metropolitan regions.  Governors also recognize and respect the sovereignty of Indian tribal governments and support economic advancements and independence for tribes.

Governors recognize that the global marketplace presents both challenges and opportunities for commerce, and affirm that observance of the following guiding principles in federal laws, regulations, and practices can support our nation’s economic growth and prosperity.

1.2 Guiding Principles

1.2.1 Generally

• A strong federal-state partnership can help foster collaborations between traditional and non-traditional parties to develop commerce strategies that power national economic growth.
• Commerce strategies should produce significant, measurable economic gains for the country through jobs, productivity, income, exports, imports, and international investment.
• The most effective federal programs provide states with necessary flexibility to address their unique needs and competitive advantages, not a “one-size-fits-all” approach. 

1.2.2  Entrepreneurship and Innovation

• The United States must continue to invest in and conduct basic and applied research, translate that research into technological innovations, and spark economic growth through the commercialization of those innovations.
• The federal government can help support entrepreneurship and innovation through technology transfer policies that provide for speed and efficiency, but protect national security interests and intellectual property integrity.
• Integrating innovative research and development into state and regional economic development clusters should be a performance goal for the federal government.
• Capital access (including seed and venture capital) committed through public and private sources helps seed entrepreneurship, technology transfer and commercialization, global market research, trade development assistance, and trade finance, all of which nurtures innovation, market opportunities and export sales, and small- and medium-sized U.S. businesses.
• Access to reliable and affordable advanced technologies is important to help deliver economic opportunity to everyone.

1.2.3.  Trade and Investment

• Trade agreements that respect non-discriminatory state and local laws, regulations, and policies, and that affirm that all parties adhere to the rule of law, help create open, transparent, and fair global markets.
• Lowering barriers to legitimate domestic and international business and leisure travel helps promote trade and investment.
• Comprehensive assistance to U.S. workers injured by changing technology and trade trends helps smooth market economies.

1.2.4    Tax and Regulation

• A regulatory and tax environment that balances public needs without chilling economic growth and job creation must be a lynchpin of federal laws and regulations that govern commerce.
• Any federal regulatory and statutory framework that governs an industry sector should strive to complement, not undermine a state’s ability to promote economic development and commerce in that sector.

Time limited (effective Winter Meeting 2013 – Winter Meeting 2015).
Adopted Winter Meeting 2013.