HOUSE BILL NO. 5459

February 04, 2020, Introduced by Reps. Rabhi, Steven Johnson, Miller, Reilly, Eisen, Paquette, Yaroch, Hammoud, Sowerby, Bollin, Schroeder, Meerman, Kuppa, Afendoulis, Yancey, Berman, Hall and Brann and referred to the Committee on Tax Policy.

A bill to amend 1984 PA 270, entitled

"Michigan strategic fund act,"

by amending sections 88b and 88r (MCL 125.2088b and 125.2088r), section 88b as amended by 2014 PA 505 and section 88r as amended by 2018 PA 458.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 88b. (1) The fund shall create and operate programs authorized under this act. The fund board shall determine the annual allocation of money for programs authorized under this act and make authorized expenditures or investments from the investment fund of the 21st century jobs trust fund created in the Michigan trust fund act, 2000 PA 489, MCL 12.251 to 12.260, 12.262, as authorized under this act for programs and activities authorized under this act.

(2) Money transferred or appropriated by law to the fund for the purposes of carrying out this chapter or chapter 8C shall be expended or invested by the fund as authorized by law for the following purposes:

(a) 21st century investments as long as those investments provide for repayment for breach of the written agreement or the failure to meet measurable outcomes.

(b) Grants and loans approved by the commercialization board under section 88k as long as those grants and loans provide for repayment for breach of the written agreement or the failure to meet measurable outcomes.

(c) Other programs or activities authorized under this chapter, any other chapter of this act, or as provided in an appropriation act as long as those programs or activities provide for repayment for breach of the written agreement or the failure to meet measurable outcomes.

(d) For promotion of tourism in this state. For fiscal year 2010-2011 only, $20,000,000.00 for the promotion of tourism in this state from funds appropriated in the jobs for Michigan investment program - 21st century jobs fund line in section 109 of 2010 PA 191 with not less than $1,500,000.00 to be used for the 2010-2011 winter advertisement buy. For all funds used for promotion of tourism in this state under this subdivision, the fund shall report to the legislature at the same time and in the same manner as provided in section 89d.

(e) Grants, loans, or other economic assistance under section 88r and community revitalization incentives under chapter 8C as long as those grants, loans, other economic assistance, and community revitalization incentives provide for repayment for breach of the written agreement or the failure to meet measurable outcomes.

(3) Not more than 4% of the annual appropriation as provided by law from the 21st century jobs trust fund created in the Michigan trust fund act, 2000 PA 489, MCL 12.251 to 12.260, 12.262, may be used for the purposes of administering the programs and activities authorized under this chapter. However, the fund and the fund board shall not use more than 3% of the annual appropriation for administering the programs and activities authorized under this chapter unless the fund board by a 2/3 vote authorizes the additional 1% for administration. The MEDC may charge actual and reasonable fees for costs associated with loans, grants, or other economic assistance under this chapter. These fees are in addition to an amount of the appropriation used for administering the programs and activities authorized under this chapter.

(4) Not more than 5% of the annual appropriation as provided by law from the 21st century jobs trust fund created in the Michigan trust fund act, 2000 PA 489, MCL 12.251 to 12.260, 12.262, may be used for business development and business marketing costs. No funds may be used for any business development and business marketing effort that includes a reference to or the image or voice of an elected state officer or a candidate for elective state office and that is targeted to a media market in Michigan.

(5) The fund shall not use any money appropriated or transferred for purposes authorized under this chapter to acquire interests in or improve real property. The restriction under this subsection does not prohibit the fund from taking a security interest in real property. The restriction under this subsection applies only to the fund and not to recipients of expenditures or investments under this chapter.

(6) The fund board may select all vendors for all expenditures and for program awards under this chapter by issuing a request for proposal or an alternative competitive process as determined by the fund board. At a minimum, the request for proposal shall require the responding entities to disclose any conflict of interest, disclose any criminal convictions, disclose any investigations by the internal revenue service or any other federal or state taxing body or court, disclose any litigation involving the entity, and maintain records and evidence pertaining to work performed. The fund board shall establish a standard process to evaluate proposals submitted as a result of a request for proposal and appoint a committee to review the proposals. The fund or the fund board shall not appoint or designate any person paid or unpaid to a committee to review proposals if that person has a conflict of interest with any potential vendors as determined by the office of the chief compliance officer established in section 88i.

(7) Application fees received for programs and activities authorized under this chapter or chapter 8C may be used by the fund for administering the programs and activities authorized under this chapter or chapter 8C. The restrictions on expenditures under subsection (3) do not apply to expenditure of application fee revenue under this subsection.

(8) Funds appropriated by law to the fund board or the fund may be expended by the fund board or fund without further appropriation regardless of the source of those funds.

(9) The fund shall post on its website a notice of all businesses that have received a grant, loan, or other economic assistance under this act that have ceased operations in this state. The notice shall include all of the following:

(a) The name of the business and whether the assistance received by the business was a grant, loan, or other economic assistance.

(b) The amount of the grant, loan, or other economic assistance received by the business.

(c) If the business is in breach of its agreement with the fund, a statement by the fund on the likelihood of recovering any portion of the grant, loan, or other economic assistance due under the agreement.

Sec. 88r. (1) The fund shall create and operate the Michigan business development program to provide grants, loans, and other economic assistance to qualified businesses that make qualified investments in this state or provide qualified new jobs in this state.

(2) The Michigan business development program shall provide for all of the following:

(a) Grants, loans, and other economic assistance to assist qualified businesses in making qualified investments and providing new jobs in this state, with preference given to qualified businesses that need additional assistance for deal-closing and for second stage company gap financing.

(b) A detailed application, approval, and compliance process published and available on the fund's website. The detailed application, approval, and compliance process must, at a minimum, contain the following:

(i) A qualified business may apply for a grant, loan, or other economic assistance in a form and manner determined by the fund.

(ii) After receipt of an application, the fund may enter into a written agreement with the qualified business if the qualified business agrees to make certain qualified investments or create a certain number of new jobs in this state.

(iii) The written agreement must provide in a clear and concise manner all of the conditions imposed, including specific time frames, on the qualified business to receive a grant, loan, or other economic assistance under this section.

(iv) The written agreement must provide for a repayment provision of any grants, loans, or other economic assistance if the qualified business fails to comply with the provisions of the written agreement.

(v) The written agreement must provide for an audit provision that requires the fund to verify that established milestones for the project have been met.

(c) In any fiscal year, a qualified business shall not receive more than $10,000,000.00 for a project funded under this section.

(3) The fund shall not enter into a written agreement with a qualified business unless all of the following are met:

(a) The municipality makes a staff, financial, or economic commitment to the project as determined by the fund.

(b) The qualified business provides a business plan or demonstrates the need for the grant, loan, or other economic assistance.

(c) The qualified business agrees to provide the data described in the written agreement necessary for the fund to report to the legislature under this act.

(4) The fund shall post on its website or post on the website of the Michigan economic development corporation the name and location of each qualified business that received a grant, loan, or other economic assistance awarded under this section and the amount of the grant, loan, or other economic assistance.

(5) Beginning February 1, 2012 and not less than every 3 months thereafter, the fund shall post on its internet website the name and location of a qualified business that received approval of a grant, loan, or other economic assistance under this section in the immediately preceding 3-month period.

(6) The legislature finds and declares that funding authorized under this section to encourage diversification of the economy, to encourage capital investment in this state, and to promote the creation of qualified new jobs in this state is a public purpose and of paramount concern in the interest of the health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of this state.

(7) If the fund receives notice from a qualified business that it seeks to amend its written agreement, the fund shall post on its website within 3 days a notice that the qualified business seeks to amend its agreement and what terms of the agreement it seeks to amend.

(8) When a qualified business fails to meet the terms of a written agreement, the fund shall post on its website within 3 days a notice that the qualified business has failed to meet the terms of its written agreement. The notice shall describe all of the following:

(a) The terms of the written agreement that have not been met.

(b) The number of created or retained qualified new jobs at the qualified business.

(c) The amount of grants, loans, or other economic assistance the qualified business has received.

(d) If the qualified business is in breach of its written agreement with the fund, a statement by the fund on the likelihood of recovering any portion of the grant, loan, or other economic assistance due under the written agreement.

(9) (7) As used in this section:

(a) "Other economic assistance" means any other form of assistance allowed under this act that is not a grant or a loan.

(b) "Qualified business" means a business that is located in or operates in this state or will locate or will operate in this state as determined by the fund. A qualified business may include more than 1 business as determined by the fund board.

(c) "Qualified investment" means investment in this state related to a project subject to a written agreement under this section.

(d) "Qualified new job" means a job performed by an individual who is a resident of this state whose Michigan income taxes are withheld by an employer, or an employee leasing company or professional employer organization on behalf of the employer, or by an individual who is not a resident of this state and is employed by a business at a project location that is located in this state, provided that the business certifies in writing at the time of disbursement that not less than 75% of the employees of that business are residents of this state, that is in excess of the number of jobs maintained by the qualified business in this state prior to the expansion or location, as determined and verified by the fund.