SB1983 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 16117 HLH 21492 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB1983

Introduced 2/26/2021, by Sen. Scott M. Bennett

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 715/25
35 ILCS 10/5-55

Amends the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act. Provides that the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may issue a certificate of verification for the credit even if the Taxpayer does not meet certain payroll and capital expenditure requirements if that failure is due to financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Amends the Corporate Accountability for Tax Expenditures Act. Provides that credits awarded under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credit program shall not be revoked or suspended as a result of the recipient's failure to meet requirements for new or retained employees if that failure is due to financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning revenue.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Corporate Accountability for Tax Expenditures Act is amended by changing Section 25 as follows:

(20 ILCS 715/25)

Sec. 25. Recapture.

(a) All development assistance agreements shall contain, at a minimum, the following recapture provisions:

(1) The recipient must (i) make the level of capital investment in the economic development project specified in the development assistance agreement; (ii) create or retain, or both, the requisite number of jobs, paying not less than specified wages for the created and retained jobs, within and for the duration of the time period specified in the legislation authorizing, or the administrative rules implementing, the development assistance programs and the development assistance agreement.

(2) If the recipient fails to create or retain the requisite number of jobs within and for the time period specified, in the legislation authorizing, or the administrative rules implementing, the development assistance programs and the development assistance agreement, the recipient shall be deemed to no longer qualify for the State economic assistance and the applicable recapture provisions shall take effect.

(3) If the recipient receives State economic assistance in the form of a High Impact Business designation pursuant to Section 5.5 of the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act and the business receives the benefit of the exemption authorized under Section 5l of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act (for the sale of building materials incorporated into a High Impact Business location) or the utility tax exemption authorized under Section 9-222.1A of the Public Utilities Act and the recipient fails to create or retain the requisite number of jobs, as determined by the legislation authorizing the development assistance programs or the administrative rules implementing such legislation, or both, within the requisite period of time, the recipient shall be required to pay to the State the full amount of both the State tax exemption and the utility tax exemption that it received as a result of the High Impact Business designation.

(4) If the recipient receives a grant or loan pursuant to the Large Business Development Program, the Business Development Public Infrastructure Program, or the Industrial Training Program and the recipient fails to create or retain the requisite number of jobs for the requisite time period, as provided in the legislation authorizing the development assistance programs or the administrative rules implementing such legislation, or both, or in the development assistance agreement, the recipient shall be required to repay to the State a pro rata amount of the grant; that amount shall reflect the percentage of the deficiency between the requisite number of jobs to be created or retained by the recipient and the actual number of such jobs in existence as of the date the Department determines the recipient is in breach of the job creation or retention covenants contained in the development assistance agreement. If the recipient of development assistance under the Large Business Development Program, the Business Development Public Infrastructure Program, or the Industrial Training Program ceases operations at the specific project site, during the 5-year period commencing on the date of assistance, the recipient shall be required to repay the entire amount of the grant or to accelerate repayment of the loan back to the State.

(5) Except as provided in paragraph (5.1), if If the recipient receives a tax credit under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credit program, the development assistance agreement must provide that (i) if the number of new or retained employees falls below the requisite number set forth in the development assistance agreement, the allowance of the credit shall be automatically suspended until the number of new and retained employees equals or exceeds the requisite number in the development assistance agreement; (ii) if the recipient discontinues operations at the specific project site during the 5-year period after the beginning of the first tax year for which the Department issues a tax credit certificate, the recipient shall forfeit all credits taken by the recipient during such 5-year period; and (iii) in the event of a revocation or suspension of the credit, the Department shall contact the Director of Revenue to initiate proceedings against the recipient to recover wrongfully exempted Illinois State income taxes and the recipient shall promptly repay to the Department of Revenue any wrongfully exempted Illinois State income taxes. The forfeited amount of credits shall be deemed assessed on the date the Department contacts the Department of Revenue and the recipient shall promptly repay to the Department of Revenue any wrongfully exempted Illinois State income taxes.

(5.1) For taxable years that begin on or after January 1, 2020 and begin prior to January 1, 2022, credits awarded under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credit program shall not be revoked or suspended as a result of the recipient's failure to meet requirements for new or retained employees if that failure is due to financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. For the Department to grant relief under this paragraph (5.1), proof of financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic must be submitted to the Department during the annual EDGE agreement recertification process.

(b) The Director may elect to waive enforcement of any contractual provision arising out of the development assistance agreement required by this Act based on a finding that the waiver is necessary to avert an imminent and demonstrable hardship to the recipient that may result in such recipient's insolvency or discharge of workers. If a waiver is granted, the recipient must agree to a contractual modification, including recapture provisions, to the development assistance agreement. The existence of any waiver granted pursuant to this subsection (b), the date of the granting of such waiver, and a brief summary of the reasons supporting the granting of such waiver shall be disclosed consistent with the provisions of Section 25 of this Act.

(b-5) The Department shall post, on its website, (i) the identity of each recipient from whom amounts were recaptured under this Section on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly, (ii) the date of the recapture, (iii) a summary of the reasons supporting the recapture, and (iv) the amount recaptured from those recipients.

(c) Beginning June 1, 2004, the Department shall annually compile a report on the outcomes and effectiveness of recapture provisions by program, including but not limited to: (i) the total number of companies that receive development assistance as defined in this Act; (ii) the total number of recipients in violation of development agreements with the Department; (iii) the total number of completed recapture efforts; (iv) the total number of recapture efforts initiated; and (v) the number of waivers granted. This report shall be disclosed consistent with the provisions of Section 20 of this Act.

(d) For the purposes of this Act, recapture provisions do not include the Illinois Department of Transportation Economic Development Program, any grants under the Industrial Training Program that are not given as an incentive to a recipient business organization, or any successor programs as described in the term "development assistance" in Section 5 of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 97-2, eff. 5-6-11; 97-721, eff. 6-29-12; 98-109, eff. 7-25-13; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13.)

Section 10. The Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act is amended by changing Section 5-55 as follows:

(35 ILCS 10/5-55)

Sec. 5-55. Certificate of verification; submission to the Department of Revenue. A Taxpayer claiming a Credit under this Act shall submit to the Department of Revenue a copy of the Director's certificate of verification under this Act for the taxable year. However, failure to submit a copy of the certificate with the Taxpayer's tax return shall not invalidate a claim for a Credit.

For a Taxpayer to be eligible for a certificate of verification, the Taxpayer shall provide proof as required by the Department prior to the end of each calendar year, including, but not limited to, attestation by the Taxpayer that:

(1) The project has substantially achieved the level of new full-time jobs specified in its Agreement.

(2) The project has substantially achieved the level of annual payroll in Illinois specified in its Agreement.

(3) The project has substantially achieved the level of capital investment in Illinois specified in its Agreement.

(4) For taxable years that begin on or after January 1, 2020 and begin prior to January 1, 2022, if the Taxpayer does not meet (1), (2), or (3) due to financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this shall not prevent the Department from issuing a certificate of verification. The Department shall require proof of financial hardship.

(Source: P.A. 91-476, eff. 8-11-99.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.