Bill Text: IL HB4820 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act. Provides that a business may be considered a high impact business if the business intends to establish a new commercial solar power facility at a designated location in Illinois. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-06-23 - Rule 19(b) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB4820 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HB4820-Introduced.html

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101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 HB4820 Introduced , by Rep. Tom Demmer SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 655/5.5 from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 609.1
Amends the Illinois Enterprise Zone Act. Provides that a business may be considered a high impact business if the business intends to establish a new commercial solar power facility at a designated location in Illinois. Effective immediately.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Illinois Enterprise Zone Act is amended by
changing Section 5.5 as follows:
(20 ILCS 655/5.5) (from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 609.1)
Sec. 5.5. High Impact Business.
(a) In order to respond to unique opportunities to assist
in the encouragement, development, growth, and expansion of the
private sector through large scale investment and development
projects, the Department is authorized to receive and approve
applications for the designation of "High Impact Businesses" in
Illinois subject to the following conditions:
(1) such applications may be submitted at any time
during the year;
(2) such business is not located, at the time of
designation, in an enterprise zone designated pursuant to
this Act;
(3) the business intends to do one or more of the
following:
(A) the business intends to make a minimum
investment of $12,000,000 which will be placed in
service in qualified property and intends to create 500

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full-time equivalent jobs at a designated location in
Illinois or intends to make a minimum investment of
$30,000,000 which will be placed in service in
qualified property and intends to retain 1,500
full-time retained jobs at a designated location in
Illinois. The business must certify in writing that the
investments would not be placed in service in qualified
property and the job creation or job retention would
not occur without the tax credits and exemptions set
forth in subsection (b) of this Section. The terms
"placed in service" and "qualified property" have the
same meanings as described in subsection (h) of Section
201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act; or
(B) the business intends to establish a new
electric generating facility at a designated location
in Illinois. "New electric generating facility", for
purposes of this Section, means a newly-constructed
electric generation plant or a newly-constructed
generation capacity expansion at an existing electric
generation plant, including the transmission lines and
associated equipment that transfers electricity from
points of supply to points of delivery, and for which
such new foundation construction commenced not sooner
than July 1, 2001. Such facility shall be designed to
provide baseload electric generation and shall operate
on a continuous basis throughout the year; and (i)

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shall have an aggregate rated generating capacity of at
least 1,000 megawatts for all new units at one site if
it uses natural gas as its primary fuel and foundation
construction of the facility is commenced on or before
December 31, 2004, or shall have an aggregate rated
generating capacity of at least 400 megawatts for all
new units at one site if it uses coal or gases derived
from coal as its primary fuel and shall support the
creation of at least 150 new Illinois coal mining jobs,
or (ii) shall be funded through a federal Department of
Energy grant before December 31, 2010 and shall support
the creation of Illinois coal-mining jobs, or (iii)
shall use coal gasification or integrated
gasification-combined cycle units that generate
electricity or chemicals, or both, and shall support
the creation of Illinois coal-mining jobs. The
business must certify in writing that the investments
necessary to establish a new electric generating
facility would not be placed in service and the job
creation in the case of a coal-fueled plant would not
occur without the tax credits and exemptions set forth
in subsection (b-5) of this Section. The term "placed
in service" has the same meaning as described in
subsection (h) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income
Tax Act; or
(B-5) the business intends to establish a new

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gasification facility at a designated location in
Illinois. As used in this Section, "new gasification
facility" means a newly constructed coal gasification
facility that generates chemical feedstocks or
transportation fuels derived from coal (which may
include, but are not limited to, methane, methanol, and
nitrogen fertilizer), that supports the creation or
retention of Illinois coal-mining jobs, and that
qualifies for financial assistance from the Department
before December 31, 2010. A new gasification facility
does not include a pilot project located within
Jefferson County or within a county adjacent to
Jefferson County for synthetic natural gas from coal;
or
(C) the business intends to establish production
operations at a new coal mine, re-establish production
operations at a closed coal mine, or expand production
at an existing coal mine at a designated location in
Illinois not sooner than July 1, 2001; provided that
the production operations result in the creation of 150
new Illinois coal mining jobs as described in
subdivision (a)(3)(B) of this Section, and further
provided that the coal extracted from such mine is
utilized as the predominant source for a new electric
generating facility. The business must certify in
writing that the investments necessary to establish a

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new, expanded, or reopened coal mine would not be
placed in service and the job creation would not occur
without the tax credits and exemptions set forth in
subsection (b-5) of this Section. The term "placed in
service" has the same meaning as described in
subsection (h) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income
Tax Act; or
(D) the business intends to construct new
transmission facilities or upgrade existing
transmission facilities at designated locations in
Illinois, for which construction commenced not sooner
than July 1, 2001. For the purposes of this Section,
"transmission facilities" means transmission lines
with a voltage rating of 115 kilovolts or above,
including associated equipment, that transfer
electricity from points of supply to points of delivery
and that transmit a majority of the electricity
generated by a new electric generating facility
designated as a High Impact Business in accordance with
this Section. The business must certify in writing that
the investments necessary to construct new
transmission facilities or upgrade existing
transmission facilities would not be placed in service
without the tax credits and exemptions set forth in
subsection (b-5) of this Section. The term "placed in
service" has the same meaning as described in

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subsection (h) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income
Tax Act; or
(E) the business intends to establish a new wind
power facility at a designated location in Illinois.
For purposes of this Section, "new wind power facility"
means a newly constructed electric generation
facility, or a newly constructed expansion of an
existing electric generation facility, placed in
service on or after July 1, 2009, that generates
electricity using wind energy devices, and such
facility shall be deemed to include all associated
transmission lines, substations, and other equipment
related to the generation of electricity from wind
energy devices. For purposes of this Section, "wind
energy device" means any device, with a nameplate
capacity of at least 0.5 megawatts, that is used in the
process of converting kinetic energy from the wind to
generate electricity; or
(F) the business commits to (i) make a minimum
investment of $500,000,000, which will be placed in
service in a qualified property, (ii) create 125
full-time equivalent jobs at a designated location in
Illinois, (iii) establish a fertilizer plant at a
designated location in Illinois that complies with the
set-back standards as described in Table 1: Initial
Isolation and Protective Action Distances in the 2012

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Emergency Response Guidebook published by the United
States Department of Transportation, (iv) pay a
prevailing wage for employees at that location who are
engaged in construction activities, and (v) secure an
appropriate level of general liability insurance to
protect against catastrophic failure of the fertilizer
plant or any of its constituent systems; in addition,
the business must agree to enter into a construction
project labor agreement including provisions
establishing wages, benefits, and other compensation
for employees performing work under the project labor
agreement at that location; for the purposes of this
Section, "fertilizer plant" means a newly constructed
or upgraded plant utilizing gas used in the production
of anhydrous ammonia and downstream nitrogen
fertilizer products for resale; for the purposes of
this Section, "prevailing wage" means the hourly cash
wages plus fringe benefits for training and
apprenticeship programs approved by the U.S.
Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and
Training, health and welfare, insurance, vacations and
pensions paid generally, in the locality in which the
work is being performed, to employees engaged in work
of a similar character on public works; this paragraph
(F) applies only to businesses that submit an
application to the Department within 60 days after July

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25, 2013 (the effective date of Public Act 98-109) this
amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly; or and
(G) the business intends to establish a new
commercial solar power facility at a designated
location in Illinois; for purposes of this Section,
"new commercial solar power facility" means a newly
constructed electric generation facility or a newly
constructed expansion of an existing electric
generation facility placed in service on or after July
1, 2020 that generates electricity using commercial
solar energy systems; such facility shall be deemed to
include all associated transmission lines,
substations, and other equipment related to the
generation of electricity from commercial solar energy
devices; for the purposes of this Section, "commercial
solar energy device" means any device or assembly of
devices that (i) is ground-installed, (ii) uses solar
energy from the sun for generating electricity, and
(iii) has a nameplate capacity of at least 2 megawatts;
and
(4) no later than 90 days after an application is
submitted, the Department shall notify the applicant of the
Department's determination of the qualification of the
proposed High Impact Business under this Section.
(b) Businesses designated as High Impact Businesses
pursuant to subdivision (a)(3)(A) of this Section shall qualify

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for the credits and exemptions described in the following Acts:
Section 9-222 and Section 9-222.1A of the Public Utilities Act,
subsection (h) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act,
and Section 1d of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act; provided
that these credits and exemptions described in these Acts shall
not be authorized until the minimum investments set forth in
subdivision (a)(3)(A) of this Section have been placed in
service in qualified properties and, in the case of the
exemptions described in the Public Utilities Act and Section 1d
of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, the minimum full-time
equivalent jobs or full-time retained jobs set forth in
subdivision (a)(3)(A) of this Section have been created or
retained. Businesses designated as High Impact Businesses
under this Section shall also qualify for the exemption
described in Section 5l of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act.
The credit provided in subsection (h) of Section 201 of the
Illinois Income Tax Act shall be applicable to investments in
qualified property as set forth in subdivision (a)(3)(A) of
this Section.
(b-5) Businesses designated as High Impact Businesses
pursuant to subdivisions (a)(3)(B), (a)(3)(B-5), (a)(3)(C),
and (a)(3)(D) of this Section shall qualify for the credits and
exemptions described in the following Acts: Section 51 of the
Retailers' Occupation Tax Act, Section 9-222 and Section
9-222.1A of the Public Utilities Act, and subsection (h) of
Section 201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act; however, the

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credits and exemptions authorized under Section 9-222 and
Section 9-222.1A of the Public Utilities Act, and subsection
(h) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act shall not be
authorized until the new electric generating facility, the new
gasification facility, the new transmission facility, or the
new, expanded, or reopened coal mine is operational, except
that a new electric generating facility whose primary fuel
source is natural gas is eligible only for the exemption under
Section 5l of the Retailers' Occupation Tax Act.
(b-6) Businesses designated as High Impact Businesses
pursuant to subdivision (a)(3)(E) of this Section shall qualify
for the exemptions described in Section 5l of the Retailers'
Occupation Tax Act; any business so designated as a High Impact
Business being, for purposes of this Section, a "Wind Energy
Business".
(b-7) Beginning on January 1, 2021, businesses designated
as High Impact Businesses by the Department shall qualify for
the High Impact Business construction jobs credit under
subsection (h-5) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act
if the business meets the criteria set forth in subsection (i)
of this Section. The total aggregate amount of credits awarded
under the Blue Collar Jobs Act (Article 20 of Public Act 101-9
this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly) shall not
exceed $20,000,000 in any State fiscal year.
(b-8) Businesses designated as High Impact Businesses
pursuant to subdivision (a)(3)(G) shall qualify for the

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exemptions described in Section 5l of the Retailers' Occupation
Tax Act.
(c) High Impact Businesses located in federally designated
foreign trade zones or sub-zones are also eligible for
additional credits, exemptions and deductions as described in
the following Acts: Section 9-221 and Section 9-222.1 of the
Public Utilities Act; and subsection (g) of Section 201, and
Section 203 of the Illinois Income Tax Act.
(d) Except for businesses contemplated under subdivision
(a)(3)(E) of this Section, existing Illinois businesses which
apply for designation as a High Impact Business must provide
the Department with the prospective plan for which 1,500
full-time retained jobs would be eliminated in the event that
the business is not designated.
(e) Except for new wind power facilities contemplated under
subdivision (a)(3)(E) and new commercial solar power
facilities contemplated under subdivision (a)(3)(G) of this
Section, new proposed facilities which apply for designation as
High Impact Business must provide the Department with proof of
alternative non-Illinois sites which would receive the
proposed investment and job creation in the event that the
business is not designated as a High Impact Business.
(f) Except for businesses contemplated under subdivision
(a)(3)(E) and (a)(3)(G) of this Section, in the event that a
business is designated a High Impact Business and it is later
determined after reasonable notice and an opportunity for a

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hearing as provided under the Illinois Administrative
Procedure Act, that the business would have placed in service
in qualified property the investments and created or retained
the requisite number of jobs without the benefits of the High
Impact Business designation, the Department shall be required
to immediately revoke the designation and notify the Director
of the Department of Revenue who shall begin proceedings to
recover all wrongfully exempted State taxes with interest. The
business shall also be ineligible for all State funded
Department programs for a period of 10 years.
(g) The Department shall revoke a High Impact Business
designation if the participating business fails to comply with
the terms and conditions of the designation. However, the
penalties for new wind power facilities, or Wind Energy
Businesses, or new commercial solar power facilities for
failure to comply with any of the terms or conditions of the
Illinois Prevailing Wage Act shall be only those penalties
identified in the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, and the
Department shall not revoke a High Impact Business designation
as a result of the failure to comply with any of the terms or
conditions of the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act in relation to a
new wind power facility, or a Wind Energy Business, or a
commercial solar power facility.
(h) Prior to designating a business, the Department shall
provide the members of the General Assembly and Commission on
Government Forecasting and Accountability with a report

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setting forth the terms and conditions of the designation and
guarantees that have been received by the Department in
relation to the proposed business being designated.
(i) High Impact Business construction jobs credit.
Beginning on January 1, 2021, a High Impact Business may
receive a tax credit against the tax imposed under subsections
(a) and (b) of Section 201 of the Illinois Income Tax Act in an
amount equal to 50% of the amount of the incremental income tax
attributable to High Impact Business construction jobs credit
employees employed in the course of completing a High Impact
Business construction jobs project. However, the High Impact
Business construction jobs credit may equal 75% of the amount
of the incremental income tax attributable to High Impact
Business construction jobs credit employees if the High Impact
Business construction jobs credit project is located in an
underserved area.
The Department shall certify to the Department of Revenue:
(1) the identity of taxpayers that are eligible for the High
Impact Business construction jobs credit; and (2) the amount of
High Impact Business construction jobs credits that are claimed
pursuant to subsection (h-5) of Section 201 of the Illinois
Income Tax Act in each taxable year. Any business entity that
receives a High Impact Business construction jobs credit shall
maintain a certified payroll pursuant to subsection (j) of this
Section.
As used in this subsection (i):

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"High Impact Business construction jobs credit" means an
amount equal to 50% (or 75% if the High Impact Business
construction project is located in an underserved area) of the
incremental income tax attributable to High Impact Business
construction job employees. The total aggregate amount of
credits awarded under the Blue Collar Jobs Act (Article 20 of
Public Act 101-9 this amendatory Act of the 101st General
Assembly) shall not exceed $20,000,000 in any State fiscal year
"High Impact Business construction job employee" means a
laborer or worker who is employed by an Illinois contractor or
subcontractor in the actual construction work on the site of a
High Impact Business construction job project.
"High Impact Business construction jobs project" means
building a structure or building or making improvements of any
kind to real property, undertaken and commissioned by a
business that was designated as a High Impact Business by the
Department. The term "High Impact Business construction jobs
project" does not include the routine operation, routine
repair, or routine maintenance of existing structures,
buildings, or real property.
"Incremental income tax" means the total amount withheld
during the taxable year from the compensation of High Impact
Business construction job employees.
"Underserved area" means a geographic area that meets one
or more of the following conditions:
(1) the area has a poverty rate of at least 20%

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according to the latest federal decennial census;
(2) 75% or more of the children in the area participate
in the federal free lunch program according to reported
statistics from the State Board of Education;
(3) at least 20% of the households in the area receive
assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP); or
(4) the area has an average unemployment rate, as
determined by the Illinois Department of Employment
Security, that is more than 120% of the national
unemployment average, as determined by the U.S. Department
of Labor, for a period of at least 2 consecutive calendar
years preceding the date of the application.
(j) Each contractor and subcontractor who is engaged in and
executing a High Impact Business Construction jobs project, as
defined under subsection (i) of this Section, for a business
that is entitled to a credit pursuant to subsection (i) of this
Section shall:
(1) make and keep, for a period of 5 years from the
date of the last payment made on or after June 5, 2019 (the
effective date of Public Act 101-9) this amendatory Act of
the 101st General Assembly on a contract or subcontract for
a High Impact Business Construction Jobs Project, records
for all laborers and other workers employed by the
contractor or subcontractor on the project; the records
shall include:

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(A) the worker's name;
(B) the worker's address;
(C) the worker's telephone number, if available;
(D) the worker's social security number;
(E) the worker's classification or
classifications;
(F) the worker's gross and net wages paid in each
pay period;
(G) the worker's number of hours worked each day;
(H) the worker's starting and ending times of work
each day;
(I) the worker's hourly wage rate; and
(J) the worker's hourly overtime wage rate;
(2) no later than the 15th day of each calendar month,
provide a certified payroll for the immediately preceding
month to the taxpayer in charge of the High Impact Business
construction jobs project; within 5 business days after
receiving the certified payroll, the taxpayer shall file
the certified payroll with the Department of Labor and the
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; a
certified payroll must be filed for only those calendar
months during which construction on a High Impact Business
construction jobs project has occurred; the certified
payroll shall consist of a complete copy of the records
identified in paragraph (1) of this subsection (j), but may
exclude the starting and ending times of work each day; the

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certified payroll shall be accompanied by a statement
signed by the contractor or subcontractor or an officer,
employee, or agent of the contractor or subcontractor which
avers that:
(A) he or she has examined the certified payroll
records required to be submitted by the Act and such
records are true and accurate; and
(B) the contractor or subcontractor is aware that
filing a certified payroll that he or she knows to be
false is a Class A misdemeanor.
A general contractor is not prohibited from relying on a
certified payroll of a lower-tier subcontractor, provided the
general contractor does not knowingly rely upon a
subcontractor's false certification.
Any contractor or subcontractor subject to this
subsection, and any officer, employee, or agent of such
contractor or subcontractor whose duty as an officer, employee,
or agent it is to file a certified payroll under this
subsection, who willfully fails to file such a certified
payroll on or before the date such certified payroll is
required by this paragraph to be filed and any person who
willfully files a false certified payroll that is false as to
any material fact is in violation of this Act and guilty of a
Class A misdemeanor.
The taxpayer in charge of the project shall keep the
records submitted in accordance with this subsection on or

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after June 5, 2019 (the effective date of Public Act 101-9)
this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly for a period
of 5 years from the date of the last payment for work on a
contract or subcontract for the High Impact Business
construction jobs project.
The records submitted in accordance with this subsection
shall be considered public records, except an employee's
address, telephone number, and social security number, and made
available in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.
The Department of Labor shall accept any reasonable submissions
by the contractor that meet the requirements of this subsection
(j) and shall share the information with the Department in
order to comply with the awarding of a High Impact Business
construction jobs credit. A contractor, subcontractor, or
public body may retain records required under this Section in
paper or electronic format.
(k) Upon 7 business days' notice, each contractor and
subcontractor shall make available for inspection and copying
at a location within this State during reasonable hours, the
records identified in this subsection (j) to the taxpayer in
charge of the High Impact Business construction jobs project,
its officers and agents, the Director of the Department of
Labor and his or her deputies and agents, and to federal,
State, or local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.
(Source: P.A. 101-9, eff. 6-5-19; revised 7-12-19.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon

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becoming law.