Oklahoma 2022 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB903 Amended / Bill

Filed 02/08/2021

                     
 
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SENATE FLOOR VERSION 
February 4, 2021 
 
 
SENATE BILL NO. 903 	By: Leewright 
 
 
 
 
 
An Act relating to Oklahoma Tourism Develo pment Act; 
amending Section 6, Chapter 19 6, O.S.L. 2017, as 
amended by Section 4, Chapter 443, O.S.L. 2019 (68 
O.S. Supp. 2020, Section 2396), which relates to 
tourism project agreements; modifying the term of 
certain agreement; and providing an effective date. 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     Section 6, Chapter 196, O.S.L. 
2017, as amended by Section 4, Chapter 443, O.S.L. 2019 (68 O.S. 
Supp. 2020, Section 2396), is amended to re ad as follows: 
Section 2396. A.  Upon granting final approval, the Executive 
Director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreati on Department may enter 
into an agreement with an approved company with respect to its 
tourism attraction project.  The terms and pro visions of each 
agreement shall includ e, but shall not be limited to: 
1.  The amount of approved costs, which shall be dete rmined by 
negotiations between the Executive Director and the approved 
company; 
2.  A date certain by which the approved company shal l have 
completed the tourism attractio n project or an individual component   
 
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or phase of the project if the tourism attractio n project is an 
Entertainment District.  Within three (3) months of the completion 
date of the whole or an individual component or ph ase of the 
project, the approved compa ny shall document its actual costs of the 
project through a certification of the cost s by an independent 
certified public accountant acceptable to the Executive Director; 
and 
3.  The following provisions: 
a. the term of the agreement shall be ten (10) years 
fifteen (15) years from the later of: 
(1) the date of the final approval of the tou rism 
attraction project, or 
(2) the completion date specified in the agreement, 
if the completion date is within three (3) years 
of the date of the final approval of the t ourism 
attraction project.  However, the term of the 
agreement may be extended for up to two (2) 
additional years by the Executive Director, with 
the advice and consent of the Oklahoma Tax 
Commission, if the Executive Director determines 
that the failure to complete the tourism 
attraction project within three (3) years 
resulted from:   
 
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(a) unanticipated and unavoidable delay in the 
construction of the tourism attraction 
project, 
(b) an original completion d ate for the tourism 
attraction project, as originally planned, 
which will be more than three (3) years from 
the date construction began, o r 
(c) a change in business structure resulting 
from a merger or acquisition, 
b. in any tax year during which an agreem ent is in 
effect, if the amount of sales tax to be re mitted by 
the approved company or an Entertainment District 
Tenant Party, if applicab le, exceeds the sales tax 
credit available to the approved company or 
Entertainment District Tenant Party, if applicab le, 
then the approved company or Entertainment Distri ct 
Tenant Party, if applicable, shall pay the excess to 
this state as sales tax, 
c. within forty-five (45) days after the end of each 
calendar year the approved company shall supply the 
Executive Director with such reports and 
certifications as the Executi ve Director may request 
demonstrating to the satisfaction of the Executive 
Director that the approved company is in compliance   
 
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with the provisions of the Oklahoma Tourism 
Development Act, and 
d. the approved company or an Entertainment District 
Tenant Party, if applicable, shall not receive an 
inducement with respect to any calendar year i f: 
(1) with respect to any tourism attraction project 
that is not an Entertainment District in any 
calendar year following the fourth year of the 
agreement, the tourism at traction project fails 
to attract at least fifteen percent (15%) of its 
visitors from among persons who are not residents 
of this state, or 
(2) in any calendar year following the first year of 
the project or the tourism attraction project is 
not operating and open to the public on a regular 
and consistent basis, which for a tourism 
attraction project that is an Entertainment 
District shall mean that a substantial portion of 
the Entertainment District is n ot operating and 
open to the public on a regular and consistent 
basis. 
B.  The agreement shall not be transferable or assignable by the 
approved company without the written consent of the Executive 
Director but, with respect to a tourism attraction project that is   
 
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an Entertainment District, the approved comp any can elect to pass -
through all or a portion of the sales tax credit to one or more 
Entertainment District Tenant Parties in accordance with Section 
2397 of this title. 
C.  If the approved company util izes or receives inducements 
which are subsequently d isallowed then the approved company will be 
liable for the payment to the Tax Commiss ion of an amount equal to 
(i) all taxes resulting from the disallowance of the inducements 
plus applicable penalties a nd interest, whether owed by the approved 
company or an Entertainment District Tenant Party to which the 
credits have been passed -through in accordance with Section 2397 of 
this title, and/or (ii) all incentive payments previously received 
by the approved company, plus applicable penalties and interest.  
Only the approved company originally allowed a sales tax credit 
shall be held liable to make such payments and not any Entertainment 
District Tenant Party to whom the credit has been passed -through in 
accordance with Section 2397 of this title. 
D.  The Executive Director shall provide a copy of each 
agreement entered into with an approved com pany to the Tax 
Commission. 
E.  For a tourism attraction project that is an Entertainment 
District and anticipated to have multiple components or phases, the 
Executive Director may enter into more than one agreement with 
different approved companies for th e different components or phases   
 
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of the Entertainment District and such agreements may be entered 
into at different ti mes as though the different components or phases 
of the Entertainment District are their own separate project.  In 
such case, the Executiv e Director shall not be required to obtain a 
separate consultant’s report (referred to in subsection C of Section 
2394 of this title) for each individual component or phas e of the 
Entertainment District, but only one consultant ’s report for the 
entire Entertainment District. 
SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective November 1, 2021. 
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS, COMMERCE AND TOURISM 
February 4, 2021 - DO PASS