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General Assembly Committee Bill No. 626
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 3873
Referred to Committee on COMMERCE
Introduced by:
(CE)
AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ENTERPRISE ZONE IN THE TOWN OF
PLYMOUTH.
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 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2
2021): 3
(c) (1) On or before September 30, 1993, the Commissioner of 4
Economic and Community Development shall approve the designation 5
of ten areas as enterprise zones, not more than four of which shall be in 6
municipalities with a population greater than eighty thousand and not 7
more than six of which shall be in municipalities with a population of 8
less than eighty thousand. 9
(2) (A) On or after October 1, 1993, the commissioner shall approve 10
the designation of two areas as enterprise zones. Each such area shall be 11
in a municipality with a population of less than eighty thousand, in 12
which there are one or more base or plant closures. Such municipalities 13
shall be in different counties. If the commissioner approves the 14
designation of an area of a municipality as an enterprise zone because 15
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of a plant closure in the municipality and there is a closure of another 16
plant in any other municipality in the state by the same business, the 17
commissioner shall also designate an area in such other municipality as 18
an enterprise zone. If any such designated area includes a portion of a 19
census tract in which any such base or plant is located, the census tracts 20
in such area shall not be required to meet the eligibility criteria set forth 21
under subsection (a) of this section for enterprise zone designation. If 22
any such area is located elsewhere in the municipality, the census tracts 23
in such area shall meet such eligibility criteria. As used in this 24
subparagraph, (i) "base" means any United States or state of Connecticut 25
military base or facility located in whole or in part within the state; (ii) 26
"plant" means any manufacturing business or economic base business, 27
as defined in section 32-222; and (iii) "closure" means any reduction or 28
transfer in military personnel or civilian employment at one or more 29
bases or plants in a municipality, which occurred between July 1, 1989, 30
and July 1, 1993, or is scheduled to occur between July 1, 1993, and July 31
1, 1996, and exceeds two thousand persons. Such employment figures 32
shall be certified by the Labor Department. (B) On or after October 1, 33
1993, the commissioner shall approve the designation of three other 34
areas as enterprise zones, one of which shall be in a municipality with a 35
population greater than eighty thousand and two of which shall be in 36
municipalities with a population of less than eighty thousand. The 37
census tracts in such areas shall meet the eligibility criteria set forth 38
under subsection (a) of this section for enterprise zone designation. The 39
commissioner shall approve the designation of enterprise zones under 40
this subparagraph for those municipalities which he or she determines 41
to have experienced the largest increases in poverty from October 1, 42
1989, to October 1, 1993, inclusive, based on a weighted average of the 43
unemployment rate, caseload under the temporary family assistance 44
program and per capita income of less than ninety per cent of the state 45
average between 1985 and 1989. In making his determination, the 46
commissioner may also consider the vacancy rates for commercial and 47
industrial facilities in a municipality and a municipality's program for 48
the implementation of an effective enterprise zone program. To the 49
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extent appropriate, the commissioner shall use the Regional Economic 50
Models, Inc. (REMI) system in making the calculations for such 51
determination. (C) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of 52
this section, municipalities that were not distressed municipalities 53
under the provisions of subsection (b) of section 32-9p on February 1, 54
1986, shall be eligible to designate areas as enterprise zones under 55
subparagraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision. 56
(3) On or after July 1, 2014, the commissioner shall approve the 57
designation of two areas as enterprise zones as follows: (A) One area 58
shall be in a municipality with a population of not more than fifty 59
thousand, as enumerated in the 2010 federal decennial census, and in 60
which is located a United States Postal Service processing center that at 61
any point in time employed one thousand or more persons, except that 62
such area shall only be designated as an enterprise zone for a term of 63
five years from the date any portion of the area is transferred, provided 64
such transfer occurs on or after July 1, 2014, and (B) one area shall be in 65
a municipality with a population of not less than seven thousand eight 66
hundred and not more than seven thousand nine hundred, as 67
enumerated in the 2010 federal decennial census, and having a total area 68
of not more than 12.2 square miles. Each such enterprise zone area shall 69
consist of two contiguous United States census tracts, contiguous 70
portions of such census tracts or all or a portion of an individual census 71
tract, as determined in accordance with the most recent federal 72
decennial census and, if such area is covered by zoning, a portion of 73
such area shall be zoned to allow commercial or industrial activity. The 74
census tracts in each such enterprise zone area shall not be required to 75
meet the eligibility criteria set forth in subsection (a) of this section. 76
Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, 77
municipalities that were not distressed municipalities under the 78
provisions of subsection (b) of section 32-9p on February 1, 1986, shall 79
be eligible to designate areas as enterprise zones under this subdivision. 80
(4) On or after July 1, 2021, the commissioner shall approve the 81
designation of one area, which shall be in a municipality with a 82
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population of not less than twelve thousand two hundred and not more 83
than twelve thousand three hundred, having a total area of not more 84
than 22.34 square miles and having an average population density of 85
not more than 559.3 persons per square mile of land, as enumerated in 86
the 2010 federal decennial census. Such enterprise zone area shall 87
consist of two contiguous United States census tracts, contiguous 88
portions of such census tracts or all or a portion of an individual census 89
tract, as determined in accordance with the most recent federal 90
decennial census and, if such area is covered by zoning, a portion of 91
such area shall be zoned to allow commercial or industrial activity. The 92
census tracts in such enterprise zone area shall not be required to meet 93
the eligibility criteria set forth in subsection (a) of this section. 94
Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, 95
municipalities that were not distressed municipalities under the 96
provisions of subsection (b) of section 32-9p on February 1, 1986, shall 97
be eligible to designate areas as enterprise zones under this subdivision. 98
[(4)] (5) The commissioner shall not approve the designation of more 99
than one enterprise zone in any municipality. The commissioner shall 100
adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 concerning such 101
additional qualifications for an area to become an enterprise zone as he 102
or she deems necessary. The commissioner may remove the designation 103
of any area he or she has approved as an enterprise zone if such area no 104
longer meets the criteria for designation as such an area set forth in this 105
section or in regulations adopted pursuant to this section, provided no 106
such designation shall be removed less than ten years from the original 107
date of approval of such zone. The commissioner may designate any 108
additional area as an enterprise zone if that area is designated as an 109
enterprise zone, empowerment zone or enterprise community pursuant 110
to any federal legislation. 111
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2021 32-70(c)
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Statement of Purpose:
To require the designation of an area within the town of Plymouth as an
enterprise zone.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. MARTIN, 31st Dist.; REP. BETTS, 78th Dist.
S.B. 626