HB-6034, As Passed House, May 17, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE BILL No. 6034

 

May 4, 2006, Introduced by Reps. Huizenga, Baxter, David Law, Pavlov, Emmons, Jones, Green, Wenke, Schuitmaker, Palsrok, Hildenbrand, Marleau, Dillon, Meisner, Tobocman, Murphy, Hunter, Plakas, Mayes, Condino, Byrum, Byrnes, Mortimer, Casperson, Moore, Proos, Acciavatti, Ball and Cheeks and referred to the Committee on Commerce.

 

     A bill to amend 1995 PA 24, entitled

 

"Michigan economic growth authority act,"

 

by amending section 3 (MCL 207.803), as amended by 2006 PA 21.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 3. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Affiliated business" means a business that is 100% owned

 

and controlled by an associated business.

 

     (b) "Associated business" means a business that owns at least

 

50% of and controls, directly or indirectly, an authorized

 

business.

 

     (c) "Authorized business" means 1 of the following:

 

     (i) A single eligible business with a unique federal employer

 

identification number that has met the requirements of section 8

 

and with which the authority has entered into a written agreement

 

for a tax credit under section 9.

 

     (ii) A single eligible business with a unique federal employer


 

identification number that has met the requirements of section 8,

 

except as provided in this subparagraph, and with which the

 

authority has entered into a written agreement for a tax credit

 

under section 9. An eligible business is not required to create

 

qualified new jobs or maintain retained jobs if qualified new jobs

 

are created or retained jobs are maintained by an associated or

 

affiliated business.

 

     (iii) A single eligible business with a unique federal employer

 

identification number that has met the requirements of section 8,

 

except as provided in this subparagraph, and with which the

 

authority has entered into a written agreement for a tax credit

 

under section 9. An eligible business is not required to create

 

qualified new jobs or maintain retained jobs if qualified new jobs

 

are created or retained jobs are maintained by a subsidiary

 

business that withholds income and social security taxes, or an

 

employee leasing company or professional employer organization that

 

has entered into a contractual service agreement with the

 

authorized business in which the employee leasing company or

 

professional employer organization withholds income and social

 

security taxes on behalf of the authorized business.

 

     (d) "Authority" means the Michigan economic growth authority

 

created under section 4.

 

     (e) "Business" means proprietorship, joint venture,

 

partnership, limited liability partnership, trust, business trust,

 

syndicate, association, joint stock company, corporation,

 

cooperative, limited liability company, or any other organization.

 

     (f) "Distressed business" means a business that meets all of


 

the following as verified by the Michigan economic growth

 

authority:

 

     (i) Four years immediately preceding the application to the

 

authority under this act, the business had 150 or more full-time

 

jobs in this state.

 

     (ii) Within the immediately preceding 4 years, there has been a

 

reduction of not less than 30% of the number of full-time jobs in

 

this state during any consecutive 3-year period. The highest number

 

of full-time jobs within the consecutive 3-year period shall be

 

used in order to determine the percentage reduction of full-time

 

jobs in this subparagraph.

 

     (iii) Is not a seasonal employer as defined in section 27 of the

 

Michigan employment security act, 1936 (Ex Sess) PA 1, MCL 421.27.

 

     (g) "Eligible business" means a distressed business or

 

business that proposes to maintain retained jobs after December 31,

 

1999 or to create qualified new jobs in this state after April 18,

 

1995 in manufacturing, mining, research and development, wholesale

 

and trade, or office operations or a business that is a qualified

 

high-technology business. An eligible business does not include

 

retail establishments, professional sports stadiums, or that

 

portion of an eligible business used exclusively for retail sales.

 

Professional sports stadium does not include a sports stadium in

 

existence on June 6, 2000 that is not used by a professional sports

 

team on the date that an application related to that professional

 

sports stadium is filed under section 8.

 

     (h) "Facility" means a site or sites within this state in

 

which an authorized business or subsidiary businesses maintains


 

retained jobs or creates qualified new jobs.

 

     (i) "Full-time job" means a job performed by an individual  

 

who is employed by an authorized business or an employee leasing

 

company or professional employer organization on behalf of the

 

authorized business for consideration for 35 hours or more each

 

week and for which the authorized business or an employee leasing

 

company or professional employer organization on behalf of the

 

authorized business withholds income and social security taxes.  

 

     (j) "Local governmental unit" means a county, city, village,

 

or township in this state.

 

     (k) "High-technology activity" means 1 or more of the

 

following:

 

     (i) Advanced computing, which is any technology used in the

 

design and development of any of the following:

 

     (A) Computer hardware and software.

 

     (B) Data communications.

 

     (C) Information technologies.

 

     (ii) Advanced materials, which are materials with engineered

 

properties created through the development of specialized process

 

and synthesis technology.

 

     (iii) Biotechnology, which is any technology that uses living

 

organisms, cells, macromolecules, microorganisms, or substances

 

from living organisms to make or modify a product, improve plants

 

or animals, or develop microorganisms for useful purposes.

 

Biotechnology does not include human cloning as defined in section

 

16274 of the public health code, 1978 PA 368, MCL 333.16274, or

 

stem cell research with embryonic tissue.


 

     (iv) Electronic device technology, which is any technology that

 

involves microelectronics, semiconductors, electronic equipment,

 

and instrumentation, radio frequency, microwave, and millimeter

 

electronics, and optical and optic-electrical devices, or data and

 

digital communications and imaging devices.

 

     (v) Engineering or laboratory testing related to the

 

development of a product.

 

     (vi) Technology that assists in the assessment or prevention of

 

threats or damage to human health or the environment, including,

 

but not limited to, environmental cleanup technology, pollution

 

prevention technology, or development of alternative energy

 

sources.

 

     (vii) Medical device technology, which is any technology that

 

involves medical equipment or products other than a pharmaceutical

 

product that has therapeutic or diagnostic value and is regulated.

 

     (viii) Product research and development.

 

     (ix) Advanced vehicles technology, which is any technology that

 

involves electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, or alternative fuel

 

vehicles, or components used in the construction of electric

 

vehicles, hybrid vehicles, or alternative fuel vehicles. For

 

purposes of this act:

 

     (A) "Electric vehicle" means a road vehicle that draws

 

propulsion energy only from an on-board source of electrical

 

energy.

 

     (B) "Hybrid vehicle" means a road vehicle that can draw

 

propulsion energy from both a consumable fuel and a rechargeable

 

energy storage system.


 

     (x) Tool and die manufacturing.

 

     (l) "New capital investment" means 1 or more of the following:

 

     (i) New construction. As used in this subparagraph:

 

     (A) "New construction" means property not in existence on the

 

date the authorized business enters into a written agreement with

 

the authority and not replacement construction. New construction

 

includes the physical addition of equipment or furnishings, subject

 

to section 27(2)(a) to (o) of the general property tax act, 1893 PA

 

206, MCL 211.27.

 

     (B) "Replacement construction" means that term as defined in

 

section 34d(1)(b)(v) of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206,

 

MCL 211.34d.

 

     (ii) The purchase of new personal property. As used in this

 

subparagraph, "new personal property" means personal property that

 

is not subject to or that is exempt from the collection of taxes

 

under the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL 211.1 to

 

211.157, on the date the authorized business enters into a written

 

agreement with the authority.

 

     (m) "Qualified high-technology business" means a business or

 

facility that is either of the following:

 

     (i) A business with not less than 25% of the total operating

 

expenses of the business used for research and development in the

 

tax year in which the business files an application under this act

 

as determined under generally accepted accounting principles and

 

verified by the authority.

 

     (ii) A business or facility whose primary business activity is

 

high-technology activity.


 

     (n) "Qualified new job" means 1 of the following:

 

     (i) A full-time job created by an authorized business at a

 

facility that is in excess of the number of full-time jobs the

 

authorized business maintained in this state prior to the expansion

 

or location, as determined by the authority.

 

     (ii) For jobs created after July 1, 2000, a full-time job at a

 

facility created by an eligible business that is in excess of the

 

number of full-time jobs maintained by that eligible business in

 

this state 120 days before the eligible business became an

 

authorized business, as determined by the authority.

 

     (iii) For a distressed business, a full-time job at a facility

 

that is in excess of the number of full-time jobs maintained by

 

that eligible business in this state on the date the eligible

 

business became an authorized business.

 

     (o) "Retained jobs" means the number of full-time jobs at a

 

facility of an authorized business maintained in this state on a

 

specific date as that date and number of jobs is determined by the

 

authority.

 

     (p) "Rural business" means an eligible business located in a

 

county with a population of 80,000 or less.

 

     (q) "Subsidiary business" means a business that is directly or

 

indirectly controlled or at least 80% owned by an authorized

 

business.

 

     (r) "Written agreement" means a written agreement made

 

pursuant to section 8.