Bill Text: NJ S1071 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires repayment of development subsidies in certain cases of failure to meet job creation or retention requirements.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-08 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Commerce Committee [S1071 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-S1071-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Requires repayment of development subsidies in certain cases of failure to meet job creation or retention requirements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the repayment of development subsidies under certain circumstances and supplementing P.L.2007, c.200 (C.52:39-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. If the requirements of any State law, regulation or policy regarding minimum levels of job creation, job retention, wages or benefits in connection with a development subsidy awarded by a granting body to a recipient corporation, including the requirements of sections 1 and 2 of P.L.2007, c.200 (C.52:39-1 and 52:39-2), or any level agreed upon by a granting body and a recipient corporation which exceeds the required minimum levels, are not fulfilled, the granting body shall recapture the development subsidy from the recipient corporation as provided in this subsection a., except as provided in subsection b. of this section. Upon a determination by the granting body, after affording the recipient corporation notice and an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with the provisions of the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), that the recipient corporation has failed to create or maintain the required or agreed upon number of jobs at the project site or to pay the required or agreed upon wages and benefits at the project site, the recipient corporation shall, except as provided by subsection b. of this section, remit to the governing body, not more than 60 calendar days after the granting body issues its determination, a percentage of the total value of the development subsidy which equals the percentage that the underpayment of wages and benefits represents of the total required or agreed upon wages and benefits. The total required or agreed upon wages and benefits for a year shall be calculated by multiplying the required or agreed upon amount of permanent employment at the project site times the required or agreed upon combined rate of wages and benefits paid to the permanent employees. The underpayment of wages and benefits shall be calculated by multiplying any shortfall in the combined average wage and benefit rate times any shortfall in the amount of employment.
b. The granting body may elect to reduce the portion of the development subsidy which is recaptured if the body determines that the reduction is necessary to avert an imminent hardship which the recipient corporation documents will result in its insolvency or compel it to discharge employees at the project site. If the reduction is granted, the terms and conditions of the reduction, any associated change in the agreement for the development subsidy and the documentation of the necessity of the reduction shall be made public.
c. Upon a determination by a granting body, after the granting body affords a recipient corporation notice and an opportunity for a hearing in accordance with the provisions of the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), that the recipient corporation closed the facility for which the subsidy was provided or relocated the facility from the project site or relocated or outsourced all of the jobs from the facility at any time during the period that the subsidy is in effect or during the five year period after the development subsidy is granted, whichever period is longer, the granting body shall declare the development subsidy null and void, and shall notify the State Treasurer and the recipient corporation of the declaration, and the recipient corporation and any corporate parent of the recipient corporation shall be disqualified from receiving any development subsidy for a period of five years and shall be included on a list of disqualified entities made available to the public and public bodies by the Treasurer. The recipient corporation shall, not more than 60 calendar days after the date of the notice of the declaration, repay to the granting body any part of the cost to the granting body of the development subsidy it did not previously repay pursuant to subsections a. or b. of this section.
2. Each agreement to provide a development subsidy shall provide that a portion of the development subsidy may, pursuant to section 1 of this act, be recaptured upon a failure by the recipient corporation to create or maintain the required or agreed upon number of jobs at the project site or to pay the required or agreed upon wages and benefits at the site. Each agreement for a loan to a recipient corporation in connection with a development subsidy which is a guarantee for the loan or a tax exemption for interest payments received by the lender, including an exemption from federal taxation authorized by a granting body, shall include a notification to the lender that the guarantee or tax emption shall, pursuant to section 1 of this act, be declared null and void by the granting body upon the closure of the facility or relocation of the facility from the project site or the relocation or outsourcing of all of the jobs from the facility during the time that the subsidy is in effect or during the five years after the development subsidy is granted, whichever is longer.
3. Any portion of the development subsidy recaptured by a granting body pursuant to section 1 of this act shall be regarded as a tax liability of the recipient corporation to the granting body. If the recipient corporation fails to pay that tax liability when it becomes due, the recipient corporation shall be subject to the penalties and interest provisions of the State Uniform Tax Procedure Law, R.S.54:48-1 et seq. Any recipient corporation which considers any decision or declaration of a granting body to recapture any part of a development subsidy to be inconsistent with the provisions of this act, excessive or otherwise unjust, may appeal to the tax court in accordance with the provisions of the State Uniform Tax Procedure Law, R.S.54:48-1 et seq.
4. No public body shall provide or authorize a development subsidy to any applicant who is included in the list of disqualified entities made available to the public body by the State Treasurer pursuant to subsection c. of section 1 of this act or is barred from conducting business or entering into contracts with public bodies under the provisions of any other law of the State. No public body shall provide or authorize a development subsidy to any applicant without first reviewing the list of disqualified entities made available to the public body by the State Treasurer pursuant to subsection c. of section 1 of this act and any other list available from the Treasurer of entities barred from conducting business or entering into contracts with public bodies under the provisions of any other law of the State.
5. If a granting body or the State Treasurer fails to enforce any provision of this act, of P.L.2007, c.200 (C.52:39-1 et seq.), or of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as Senate Bill, No.1263), any individual who paid taxes to the State during the State fiscal year in dispute or the preceding year, or any organization representing any of those taxpayers, shall be entitled to bring a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction to compel enforcement of those acts. The court shall award reasonable attorneys' fees and costs to the prevailing taxpayer or organization.
6. The State Treasurer shall, in consultation with the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development, and pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
7. This act shall take effect immediately, but the provisions of sections 1 through 5 of this act shall remain inoperative until the 180th day after the enactment of this act.
STATEMENT
The bill requires a business which receives a development subsidy, including a tax incentive, from a State agency, to repay the subsidy to the degree that the recipient fails to fulfill the requirements of any State law, regulation or policy regarding minimum levels of job creation, job retention, wages or benefits in connection with the subsidy, or any level agreed upon by the granting agency and a recipient which exceeds the required levels.
Upon a determination by the granting agency that the recipient failed to create or maintain the required or agreed upon number of jobs or pay the required or agreed upon wages and benefits, the recipient is required to remit to the granting agency a percentage of the total value of the development subsidy which equals the percentage that the underpayment of wages and benefits represents of the total required or agreed upon wages and benefits. The total required or agreed upon wages and benefits is calculated by multiplying the required or agreed upon amount of permanent employment times the required or agreed upon combined rate of wages and benefits paid to the permanent employees. The underpayment of wages and benefits is calculated by multiplying any shortfall in the combined average wage and benefit rate times any shortfall in the amount of employment.
The bill also requires the granting agency to declare a development subsidy null and void if the subsidized facility is closed or relocated or all of the jobs are relocated or outsourced during the term of the subsidy or within five years after the subsidy is granted, and bar the subsidy recipient and any corporate parent of the recipient from receiving any development subsidy for a period of five years.
The bill prohibits public bodies from providing or authorizing development subsidies to applicants who are barred from receiving the subsidies or barred from conducting business or entering into contracts with public bodies under the provisions of any other State law.
Taxpayers and taxpayer organizations are permitted to bring a civil action to enforce the requirements of the bill, if a granting agency or the State Treasurer fails to do so.
