California Assembly Bill AB901 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 901AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 27, 2011 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 10, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member V. Manuel Prez FEBRUARY 17, 2011 An act to amend  Section 22050 of the Financial Code, and to amend  Sections 44559.1, 44559.2, and 44559.6 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to economic development. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 901, as amended, V. Manuel Prez. Capital Access Loan Program for small business.  Existing law, the California Finance Lenders Law, regulates consumer lending and provides that those provisions do not apply to specified persons.   This bill would exempt from those provisions a nonprofit federally tax-exempt corporation certified by the United States Small Business Administration.  Existing law establishes the Capital Access Loan Program, which is administered by the California Pollution Control Financing Authority, and defines the term "financial institution," for purposes of that program. The authority is required to include specified terms in any contract that the authority enters into with a financial institution participating in the program, as specified. Existing law requires the authority to report annually to the Governor and the Legislature that describes the financial condition and the programmatic results of the Capital Access Loan Program for small businesses. This bill would revise the definition of the term "financial institution" to include a small business financial development corporation or microenterprise development organization that meets standards that shall be established by the authority. This bill would also require that the form contract used by the authority shall revise the requirement that the financial institution provide information that the authority may require to include the number of jobs created and the number of jobs retained. The bill would also specify, for purposes of the annual report to the Governor and the Legislature, that programmatic results include, but is not limited to, the total number of businesses served, jobs created, jobs retained, the geographic distribution of the loans, and the breakdown of businesses served by industry sector, as specified. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:  SECTION 1.   Section 22050 of the Financial Code is amended to read: 22050. (a) This division does not apply to any person doing business under any law of any state or of the United States relating to banks, trust companies, savings and loan associations, insurance premium finance agencies, credit unions, small business investment companies, California business and industrial development corporations, or licensed pawnbrokers. (b) This division does not apply to a check casher who holds a valid permit issued pursuant to Section 1789.37 of the Civil Code when acting under the authority of that permit, and shall not apply to a person holding a valid license issued pursuant to Section 23005 of the Financial Code when acting under the authority of that license. (c) This division does not apply to a college or university making a loan for the purpose of permitting a person to pursue a program or course of study leading to a degree or certificate. (d) This division does not apply to a broker-dealer acting pursuant to a certificate then in effect and issued pursuant to Section 25211 of the Corporations Code. (e) This division does not apply to any person who makes no more than one loan in a 12-month period as long as that loan is a commercial loan as defined in Section 22502. (f) This division does not apply to any public corporation as defined in Section 67510 of the Government Code, any public entity other than the state as defined in Section 811.2 of the Government Code, or any agency of any one or more of the foregoing, when making any loan so long as the public corporation, public entity, or agency of any one or more of the foregoing complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations. (g) This division does not apply to a nonprofit federally tax-exempt corporation certified by the United States Small Business Administration, organized to promote economic development in this state and whose primary activity consists of providing financing for business expansion. (h) This section shall become operative December 31, 2004.   SEC. 2.   SECTION 1.  Section 44559.1 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 44559.1. As used in this article, unless the context requires otherwise, all of the following terms have the following meanings: (a) "Authority" means the California Pollution Control Financing Authority. (b) "California Capital Access Fund" means a fund created within the authority to be used for purposes of the program. (c) "Executive director" means the Executive Director of the California Pollution Control Financing Authority. (d) (1) "Financial institution" means a federal- or state-chartered bank, savings association, credit union, not-for-profit community development financial institution certified under Part 1805 (commencing with Section 1805.100) of Chapter XVIII of Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or a consortium of these entities. A consortium of those entities may include a nonfinancial corporation, if the percentage of capitalization by all nonfinancial corporations in the consortium does not exceed 49 percent. (2) "Financial institution" also includes a lending institution that has executed a participation agreement with the Small Business Administration under the guaranteed loan program pursuant to Part 120 (commencing with Section 120.1) of Chapter I of Title 13 of the Code of Federal Regulations and meets the requirements of Section 120.410 of Chapter I of Title 13 of the Code of Federal Regulations, a small business investment company licensed pursuant to Part 107 (commencing with Section 107.20) of Chapter I of Title 13 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and a small business financial development corporation or microenterprise development organization that meets standards that shall be established by the authority. For loans where all or part of the fees and matching contributions are paid by an entity participating in the program pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 44559.2, "financial institution" also includes financial lenders, as defined in Section 22009 of the Financial Code, making commercial loans, as defined in Section 22502 of the Financial Code. (3) A financial institution described in paragraph (2) shall be domiciled or have its principal office in the State of California. (e) "Loss reserve account" means an account in the State Treasury or any financial institution that is established and maintained by the authority for the benefit of a financial institution participating in the Capital Access Loan Program established pursuant to this article for the purposes of the following: (1) Depositing all required fees paid by the participating financial institution and the qualified business. (2) Depositing contributions made by the state and, if applicable, the federal government or other sources. (3) Covering losses on enrolled qualified loans sustained by the participating financial institution by disbursing funds accumulated in the loss reserve account. (f) "Participating financial institution" means a financial institution that has been approved by the authority to enroll qualified loans in the program and has agreed to all terms and conditions set forth in this article and as may be required by any applicable federal law providing matching funding. (g) "Passive real estate ownership" means ownership of real estate for the purpose of deriving income from speculation, trade, or rental, but does not include any of the following: (1) The ownership of that portion of real estate being used or intended to be used for the operation of the business of the owner of the real estate. (2) The ownership of real estate for the purpose of construction or renovation, until the completion of the construction or renovation phase. (h) "Program" means the Capital Access Loan Program created pursuant to this article. (i) "Qualified business" means a small business concern that meets both of the following criteria, regardless of whether the small business concern has operations that affect the environment: (1) It is a corporation, partnership, cooperative, or other entity, whether that entity is a nonprofit entity or an entity established for profit, that is authorized to conduct business in the state. (2) It has its primary business location within the boundaries of the state. (j) (1) "Qualified loan" means a loan or a portion of a loan made by a participating financial institution to a qualified business for any business activity that has its primary economic effect in California. A qualified loan may be made in the form of a line of credit, in which case the participating financial institution shall specify the amount of the line of credit to be covered under the program, which may be equal to the maximum commitment under the line of credit or an amount that is less than that maximum commitment. A qualified loan made under the program may be made with the interest rates, fees, and other terms and conditions agreed upon by the participating financial institution and the borrower. (2) "Qualified loan" does not include any of the following: (A) A loan for the construction or purchase of residential housing. (B) A loan to finance passive real estate ownership. (C) A loan for the refinancing of an existing loan when and to the extent that the outstanding balance is not increased. (D) A loan, the proceeds of which will be used in any manner that could cause the interest on any bonds previously issued by the authority to become subject to federal income tax. (k) "Severely affected community" means any area classified as an enterprise zone pursuant to the Enterprise Zone Act (Chapter 12.8 (commencing with Section 7070) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code), any area, as designated by the executive director, contiguous to the boundaries of a military base designated for closure pursuant to Section 2687 of Title 10 of the United States Code, as amended, and any other comparable economically distressed geographic area so designated by the executive director from time to time. (l) "Small Business Assistance Fund" means a fund created within the authority pursuant to Section 44548. (m) "Small business concern" has the same meaning as in Section 632 of Title 15 of the United States Code, or as otherwise provided in regulations of the authority.  SEC. 3.   SEC. 2.  Section 44559.2 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 44559.2. (a) The authority may contract with any financial institution for the purpose of allowing the financial institution to participate in the Capital Access Loan Program established by this article. (b) For purposes of this section, the authority may contract with participating financial institutions and shall utilize a standard form of contract that is reviewed and approved by the Department of General Services. The standard form of contract shall provide for all of the following: (1) The creation of a loss reserve account by the authority for the benefit of the financial institution. (2) The financial institution, qualified business, and the authority will deposit moneys to the credit of the institution's loss reserve account when the financial institution makes a qualified loan to a qualified business. (3) The liability of the state and the authority to the financial institution under the contract is limited to the amount of money credited to the loss reserve account of the institution. (4) The financial institution shall provide the information that the authority may require, including financial information that is identifiable with, or identifiable from the financial records of a particular customer who is the recipient of a qualified loan. In addition to any other information that the authority may require, the financial institution shall provide the complete North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for the qualified business, the number of jobs created, the number of jobs retained, and information that provides the precise geographic location of both the qualified business and the borrower, if different. (5) The financial institution will file a report with the executive director setting out a full description of the board of directors, including size, race, ethnicity, and gender. (6) The participating financial institution will require each borrower, prior to receiving a loan under the program, to sign a written representation to the participating financial institution that the borrower has no legal, beneficial, or equitable interest in the nonrefundable premium charges or any other funds credited to the loss reserve account established by the authority for the participating financial institution. (7) Other terms that the authority may require for purposes of this article. (c) A financial institution is not subject to laws restricting the disclosure of financial information when the financial institution provides information to the authority as required by paragraph (4) of subdivision (b). (d) A credit union operating pursuant to a certificate issued under the California Credit Union Law (Division 5 (commencing with Section 14000) of the Financial Code) may participate in the Capital Access Loan Program established pursuant to this article only to the extent participation is in compliance with the California Credit Union Law. Nothing in this article shall be construed to limit the authority of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions to regulate credit unions subject to the commissioner's jurisdiction under the California Credit Union Law. (e) Any individual, company, corporation, institution, utility, government agency, or other entity, including any consortium of these persons or entities, whether public or private, may participate in the Capital Access Loan Program established pursuant to this article by depositing funds in the California Capital Access Fund under those terms and conditions as may be deemed appropriate by the authority.  SEC. 4.   SEC. 3.  Section 44559.6 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 44559.6. The authority shall annually prepare a report to the Governor and the Legislature that describes the financial condition and programmatic results of the capital access loan program for small businesses authorized under this article. Programmatic results shall include, but not be limited to, for all outstanding loans on the date the report is issued and new loans issued since the report from the prior year, the total number of businesses served, jobs created, jobs retained, the geographic distribution of the loans, and the breakdown of businesses served by industry sector.