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Blog Category: Government

Secretary Locke Holds Exports Town Hall with Philadelphia Businesses

Submitted on April 30, 2010 - 6:01pm
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National Export Initiative logo. Click for more NEI information.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke visited PENN Fishing Reels to discuss President Obama’s National Export Initiative and how it can help companies sell more of their goods and services overseas and create new jobs at home. Following a tour of the company’s manufacturing facility, Locke held a town hall meeting to highlight government resources available to businesses interested in selling their goods and services abroad. Locke was joined by U.S. Sen. Robert Casey, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Mayor Michael Nutter. (More) (NEI) (Remarks)

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Secretary Locke Announces NIST to Lead National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education

Submitted on April 29, 2010 - 7:29pm
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Locke at podium.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced today at the Business Software Alliance Cybersecurity Forum that the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will coordinate and facilitate the implementation of the Obama administration’s National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE). This initiative expands the government’s cyber security education efforts into a national focus that will establish an operational, sustainable and continually-improving cyber security education program for the public and private sectors focused on sound cyber practices. (More) (Remarks)

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Secretary Locke Links Haiti Reconstruction Needs with Capabilities of U.S. Firms

Submitted on April 20, 2010 - 8:03pm
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Locke and Delatour on stage shaking hands. Click for larger image.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke reaffirmed the support of the Obama administration and the Commerce Department for Haiti’s reconstruction efforts following January’s devastating earthquake at today’s Haiti Reconstruction Business Dialogue hosted at the Department. Locke was joined by senior government and private sector representatives to discuss how American companies can help aid Haiti’s reconstruction efforts. Haitian Minister of Tourism Patrick Delatour (shown with Locke), who is charged with leading Haiti’s reconstruction efforts, briefed businesses on the country’s pressing needs. (More) (Remarks)

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Secretary Locke Hosts Luncheon with New Chilean President Sebastián Piñera and U.S. Companies

Submitted on April 12, 2010 - 2:18pm
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Locke and Pinera shaking hands.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke hosted a roundtable dialogue and luncheon with new Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, Chilean and U.S. government officials, and select U.S. businesses at the Commerce Department today to match some of Chile’s post-earthquake reconstruction needs with the capabilities of U.S. companies. The Government of Chile estimates that the 8.8-magnitude earthquake on February 27 caused upwards of $30 billion in damages. President Piñera assumed office less than two weeks after the earthquake. (More)

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Commerce Department Releases Open Government Plan

Submitted on April 7, 2010 - 3:46pm
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Screenshot of Commerce's Open Government Website

In response to President Obama’s Open Government Directive, the Department of Commerce released its first iteration of its Open Government Plan. The plan creates a process for making more data available to the public and identifies three flagship Open Government initiatives that help make the Commerce Department more accessible and interactive. In a blog post on the Department’s Open Government Web site, Secretary Gary Locke noted that the plan, “establishes clear goals and benchmarks for success, and lays the foundation for continued work on increasing openness, participation and collaboration at Commerce in the months and years to come.” (Open Government Plan) (Open Government Web site) (Secretary’s post)

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Secretary Locke Discusses Travel and Tourism Industry at American Hotel and Lodging Association Summit

Submitted on March 15, 2010 - 7:14pm
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Locke on podium.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke addressed the American Hotel and Lodging Association Legislative Action Summit to discuss the importance of the travel and tourism industry to the U.S. economy. Locke spoke about President Obama’s National Export Initiative and the role travel and tourism plays in growing American jobs. He also discussed plans for implementation of the recently-signed Travel Promotion Act, which establishes a new public-private partnership between the U.S. government and the nation’s travel and tourism industry. (Remarks)

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President Obama Signs the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 into Law

Submitted on March 4, 2010 - 4:07pm
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Secretary Locke at far left watches as President Obama signs Act. Click for larger image.

White House photo

President Obama signed the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (TPA) into law, putting into place a new public-private partnership between the U.S. government and the nation’s travel and tourism industry. The U.S. Department of Commerce stands ready to work with the private sector to promote international travel to the United States. “When international visitors come to the United States they spend money on a wide range of goods and services that support U.S. jobs,” said Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. “Creating a global tourism promotion program to encourage international visitors to vacation in America will help spur economic growth and create more jobs,” Locke said. (More)

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Census Bureau Makes Special Efforts for Complete Count of Hurricane Affected Areas in the Gulf Coast

Submitted on March 2, 2010 - 3:44pm
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Hightower at table.

U.S. Commerce Deputy Secretary Dennis F. Hightower met with local government officials and community leaders to assess the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 Census efforts to ensure a complete count of Gulf Coast residents affected by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike. “We hired early, provided extra training, added an extra local office, increased pay rates, and are delivering the form to any housing unit that is or may be habitable—all to ensure a complete count in hurricane-affected areas of the Gulf Coast,” Hightower said. (More) (2010 Census Web site)

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Secretary Locke Urges Formation of Regional Innovation Clusters to Create Jobs, Encourage Growth

Submitted on February 25, 2010 - 11:00pm
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Secretary Locke gesturing from podium.

File photo

U. S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke delivered the keynote address at the “Clustering for 21st Century Prosperity” forum hosted by the National Academy of Sciences. Locke’s remarks focused on the importance of advancing regional innovation clusters to create 21st century jobs. Regional Innovation Clusters (RICs) are a proven way to create jobs and grow the economy. They are geographic concentrations of businesses, government, academic and non-profit institutions that have common needs for talent, technology and infrastructure. (Remarks) (Podcast)

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Secretary Locke Unveils Details of the National Export Initiative

Submitted on February 4, 2010 - 1:21pm
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Locke gesturing with hands from podium. Click for larger image.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke unveiled details of President Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI) today. During last week’s State of the Union speech, the president announced a goal of doubling exports over the next five years to support two million jobs in America. Locke detailed how the Export Initiative will help the country reach that goal—providing more funding, more focus and more cabinet-level coordination to grow U.S. exports. The NEI represents the first time the United States will have a government-wide export-promotion strategy with focused attention from the president and his Cabinet. (More) (Remarks) (C-SPAN video, 1:00 p.m. EST)

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