HOUSE BILL No. 4819

 

June 11, 2013, Introduced by Reps. Tlaib, Heise, Geiss, Dillon, Slavens and Roberts and referred to the Committee on Tax Policy.

 

     A bill to amend 1996 PA 376, entitled

 

"Michigan renaissance zone act,"

 

by amending sections 3 and 8g (MCL 125.2683 and 125.2688g), section

 

3 as amended by 2010 PA 277 and section 8g as added by 2010 PA 5.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 3. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Agricultural processing facility" means 1 or more

 

facilities or operations that transform, package, sort, or grade

 

livestock or livestock products, agricultural commodities, or

 

plants or plant products, excluding forest products, into goods

 

that are used for intermediate or final consumption including goods

 

for nonfood use, and surrounding property.

 

     (b) "Board" means the state administrative board created in

 

1921 PA 2, MCL 17.1 to 17.3.

 

     (c) "Border crossing facility" means a business that is 1 or


 

more of the following as determined by the board of the Michigan

 

strategic fund:

 

     (i) That was located in a qualified border local governmental

 

unit as defined in section 8g and was displaced or otherwise

 

negatively affected by the development of the international border

 

crossing and is unable to recover from the displacement or negative

 

effect without the establishment of a renaissance zone.

 

     (ii) That is associated with international trade, shipping, or

 

freight hauling, including, but not limited to, all of the

 

following:

 

     (A) Customs brokers.

 

     (B) Distribution centers.

 

     (C) Truck supply and repair.

 

     (D) Packing, sorting, assembling, or manufacturing of goods.

 

     (d) "Development plan" means a written plan that addresses the

 

criteria in section 7 and includes all of the following:

 

     (i) A map of the proposed renaissance zone that indicates the

 

geographic boundaries, the total area, and the present use and

 

conditions generally of the land and structures within those

 

boundaries.

 

     (ii) Evidence of community support and commitment from

 

residential and business interests.

 

     (iii) A description of the methods proposed to increase economic

 

opportunity and expansion, facilitate infrastructure improvement,

 

and identify job training opportunities.

 

     (iv) Current social, economic, and demographic characteristics

 

of the proposed renaissance zone and anticipated improvements in


 

education, health, human services, public safety, and employment if

 

the renaissance zone is created.

 

     (v) Any other information required by the board.

 

     (e) "Elected county executive" means the elected county

 

executive in a county organized under 1966 PA 293, MCL 45.501 to

 

45.521, or 1973 PA 139, MCL 45.551 to 45.573.

 

     (f) "Eligible next Michigan business" means a business engaged

 

in the shipment of tangible personal property via multimodal

 

commerce; a supply chain business providing a majority of its

 

services to businesses engaged in the shipment of tangible personal

 

property, including inventory, via multimodal commerce; a

 

manufacturing or assembly facility receiving a majority of its

 

production components via multimodal commerce; a manufacturing or

 

assembly facility shipping a majority of products via multimodal

 

commerce; or a light manufacturing or assembly facility that

 

packages, kits, labels, or customizes products and ships those

 

products via multimodal commerce.

 

     (g) "Forest products processing facility" means 1 or more

 

facilities or operations that transform, package, sort, recycle, or

 

grade forest or paper products into goods that are used for

 

intermediate or final use or consumption or for the creation of

 

biomass or alternative fuels through the utilization of forest

 

products or forest residue, and surrounding property. Forest

 

products processing facility does not include an existing facility

 

or operation that is located in this state that relocates to a

 

renaissance zone for a forest products processing facility. Forest

 

products processing facility does not include a facility or


 

operation that engages primarily in retail sales.

 

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

 

township, or, for taxes levied after 2009, any other taxing

 

jurisdiction that levies an ad valorem property tax.

 

     (i) "Multimodal commerce" means the movement of products or

 

services via 2 or more of the following:

 

     (i) Air.

 

     (ii) Road.

 

     (iii) Rail.

 

     (iv) Water.

 

     (j) "Next Michigan development corporation" means that term as

 

defined in section 3 of the next Michigan development act, 2010 PA

 

275, MCL 125.2953.

 

     (k) "Next Michigan development district" means that term as

 

defined in section 3 of the next Michigan development act, 2010 PA

 

275, MCL 125.2953.

 

     (l) "Next Michigan renaissance zone" means a renaissance zone

 

created under section 8h.

 

     (m) "Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation,

 

association, limited liability company, governmental entity, or

 

other legal entity.

 

     (n) "Qualified eligible next Michigan business" means an

 

eligible next Michigan business that has been certified in

 

accordance with section 8h.

 

     (o) "Qualified local governmental unit" means either of the

 

following:

 

     (i) A county.


 

     (ii) A city, village, or township that contains an eligible

 

distressed area as defined in section 11 of the state housing

 

development authority act of 1966, 1966 PA 346, MCL 125.1411.

 

     (p) "Recovery zone" means a tool and die renaissance recovery

 

zone created in section 8d.

 

     (q) "Renaissance zone" means a geographic area designated

 

under this act.

 

     (r) "Renewable energy facility" means a facility that creates

 

energy, fuels, or chemicals directly from the wind, the sun, trees,

 

grasses, biosolids, algae, agricultural commodities, processed

 

products from agricultural commodities, or residues from

 

agricultural processes, wood or forest processes, food production

 

and processing, or the paper products industry. Renewable energy

 

facility also includes a facility that creates energy, fuels, or

 

chemicals from solid biomass, animal wastes, or landfill gases.

 

Renewable energy facility also includes a facility that focuses on

 

research, development, or manufacturing of systems or components of

 

systems used to create energy, fuel, or chemicals from the items

 

described in this subdivision. Renewable energy facility also

 

includes a facility that focuses on research, development, or

 

manufacturing of systems or components of systems that involve the

 

conversion of chemical energy for advanced battery technology.

 

     (s) "Residential rental property" means that term as defined

 

in section 7ff of the general property tax act, 1893 PA 206, MCL

 

211.7ff.

 

     (t) "Review board" means the renaissance zone review board

 

created in section 5.


 

     (u) "Rural area" means an area that lies outside of the

 

boundaries of an urban area.

 

     (v) "Urban area" means an urbanized area as determined by the

 

economics and statistics administration, United States bureau of

 

the census according to the 1990 census.

 

     Sec. 8g. (1) The board of the Michigan strategic fund defined

 

in section 4 of the Michigan strategic fund act, 1984 PA 270, MCL

 

125.2004, may designate up to 25 additional renaissance zones for

 

border crossing facilities within this state in qualified border

 

local governmental units if that city or township or combination of

 

cities or townships consents to the creation of a renaissance zone

 

for a border crossing facility within their boundaries. A

 

renaissance zone for a border crossing facility shall have a

 

duration of renaissance zone status for a period of 15 years.

 

     (2) Each renaissance zone designated for a border crossing

 

facility under this section shall be 1 continuous distinct

 

geographic area.

 

     (3) The board may revoke the designation of all or a portion

 

of a renaissance zone for a border crossing facility if the board

 

determines that the border crossing facility does 1 or more of the

 

following in a renaissance zone designated under this section:

 

     (a) Fails to commence operation.

 

     (b) Ceases operation.

 

     (c) Fails to commence construction or renovation within 1 year

 

from the date the renaissance zone for the border crossing facility

 

is designated.

 

     (4) The board shall consider all of the following when


 

designating a renaissance zone for a border crossing facility:

 

     (a) The economic impact on local suppliers who supply raw

 

materials, goods, and services to the border crossing facility.

 

     (b) The creation of jobs relative to the employment base of

 

the community rather than the static number of jobs created.

 

     (c) The viability of the project.

 

     (d) The economic impact on the community in which the border

 

crossing facility is located.

 

     (5) The board shall require a development agreement between

 

the Michigan strategic fund and the border crossing facility.

 

     (6) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Development agreement" means a written agreement between

 

the Michigan strategic fund and the border crossing facility that

 

includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:

 

     (i) A requirement that the border crossing facility comply with

 

all state and local laws.

 

     (ii) A requirement that the border crossing facility report

 

annually to the Michigan strategic fund on all of the following:

 

     (A) The amount of capital investment made at the facility.

 

     (B) The number of individuals employed at the facility at the

 

beginning and end of the reporting period as well as the number of

 

individuals transferred to the facility from another facility owned

 

by the border crossing facility.

 

     (C) The percentage of raw materials purchased in this state.

 

     (iii) Any other conditions or requirements reasonably required

 

by the Michigan strategic fund.

 

     (b) "Qualified border local governmental unit" means 1 of the


 

following:

 

     (i) A city with a population of more than 30,000 and less than

 

36,000 that contains an international border crossing.

 

     (ii) A township that adjoins a city with a population of more

 

than 30,000 and less than 36,000 that contains an international

 

border crossing.

 

     (iii) A city with a population of 700,000 or more that contains

 

an international border crossing constructed after January 1, 2010.