Bill Text: CT HB05515 | 2014 | General Assembly | Comm Sub
Bill Title: An Act Allowing The Designation Of Areas Within The Towns Of Thomaston And Wallingford As Enterprise Zones.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-04-08 - Referred by House to Committee on Finance, Revenue and Bonding [HB05515 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2014-HB05515-Comm_Sub.html
General Assembly |
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February Session, 2014 |
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AN ACT ALLOWING THE DESIGNATION OF AREAS WITHIN THE TOWNS OF THOMASTON AND WALLINGFORD AS ENTERPRISE ZONES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (c) of section 32-70 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2014):
(c) (1) On or before September 30, 1993, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall approve the designation of ten areas as enterprise zones, not more than four of which shall be in municipalities with a population greater than eighty thousand and not more than six of which shall be in municipalities with a population of less than eighty thousand.
(2) (A) On or after October 1, 1993, the commissioner shall approve the designation of two areas as enterprise zones. Each such area shall be in a municipality with a population of less than eighty thousand, in which there are one or more base or plant closures. Such municipalities shall be in different counties. If the commissioner approves the designation of an area of a municipality as an enterprise zone because of a plant closure in the municipality and there is a closure of another plant in any other municipality in the state by the same business, the commissioner shall also designate an area in such other municipality as an enterprise zone. If any such designated area includes a portion of a census tract in which any such base or plant is located, the census tracts in such area shall not be required to meet the eligibility criteria set forth under subsection (a) of this section for enterprise zone designation. If any such area is located elsewhere in the municipality, the census tracts in such area shall meet such eligibility criteria. As used in this subparagraph, (i) "base" means any United States or state of Connecticut military base or facility located in whole or in part within the state; (ii) "plant" means any manufacturing or economic base business, as defined in subsection (l) of section 32-222; and (iii) "closure" means any reduction or transfer in military personnel or civilian employment at one or more bases or plants in a municipality, which occurred between July 1, 1989, and July 1, 1993, or is scheduled to occur between July 1, 1993, and July 1, 1996, and exceeds two thousand persons. Such employment figures shall be certified by the Labor Department. (B) On or after October 1, 1993, the commissioner shall approve the designation of three other areas as enterprise zones, one of which shall be in a municipality with a population greater than eighty thousand and two of which shall be in municipalities with a population of less than eighty thousand. The census tracts in such areas shall meet the eligibility criteria set forth under subsection (a) of this section for enterprise zone designation. The commissioner shall approve the designation of enterprise zones under this subparagraph for those municipalities which he or she determines to have experienced the largest increases in poverty from October 1, 1989, to October 1, 1993, inclusive, based on a weighted average of the unemployment rate, caseload under the temporary family assistance program and per capita income of less than ninety per cent of the state average between 1985 and 1989. In making his determination, the commissioner may also consider the vacancy rates for commercial and industrial facilities in a municipality and a municipality's program for the implementation of an effective enterprise zone program. To the extent appropriate, the commissioner shall use the Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI) system in making the calculations for such determination. (C) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, municipalities that were not distressed municipalities under the provisions of subsection (b) of section 32-9p on February 1, 1986, shall be eligible to designate areas as enterprise zones under subparagraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision.
(3) Notwithstanding the eligibility criteria set forth in subsection (a) of this section, (A) the municipalities described in this subparagraph shall be eligible to designate an area of said municipality as an enterprise zone, provided such area shall consist of one or two contiguous United States census tracts, contiguous portions of such census tracts or a portion of an individual census tract, as determined in accordance with the most recent federal decennial census and, if such area is covered by zoning, a portion of it shall be zoned to allow commercial or industrial activity: (i) A municipality with a population of not less than seven thousand eight hundred and not more than seven thousand nine hundred, as enumerated in the 2010 federal decennial census, and having a total square area of not more than 12.2 miles, and (ii) a municipality with a population of not more than fifty thousand, as enumerated in the 2010 federal decennial census, in which a United States Postal Service processing center that at any point in time employed one thousand or more persons is or was located; and (B) on or before January 1, 2015, the commissioner shall approve any such designation.
[(3)] (4) The commissioner shall not approve the designation of more than one enterprise zone in any municipality. The commissioner shall adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 concerning such additional qualifications for an area to become an enterprise zone as he or she deems necessary. The commissioner may remove the designation of any area he or she has approved as an enterprise zone if such area no longer meets the criteria for designation as such an area set forth in this section or in regulations adopted pursuant to this section, provided no such designation shall be removed less than ten years from the original date of approval of such zone. The commissioner may designate any additional area as an enterprise zone if that area is designated as an enterprise zone, empowerment zone or enterprise community pursuant to any federal legislation.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
July 1, 2014 |
32-70(c) |
CE |
Joint Favorable Subst. |