Step 1 :The question is asking for an exponential growth function for the state's population. The general form of an exponential growth function is y(t) = a * b^(t), where 'a' is the initial amount (population in the year 2000), 'b' is the growth rate, and 't' is the time in years after the year 2000. However, the question does not provide the values for 'a' and 'b', so it's impossible to provide a specific function without these values.
Step 2 :Without these values, the best we can do is to provide the general form of the function.
Step 3 :Final Answer: The exponential growth function for this state's population is \(\boxed{y(t) = a * b^t}\).