| 1 | 1 | | 84R5009 CLG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Alvarado H.B. No. 1156 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to the establishment of an electronic information and |
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| 8 | 8 | | application system for state and local incentives for economic |
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| 9 | 9 | | development purposes. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subtitle G, Title 10, Government Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Chapter 2301 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | CHAPTER 2301. ELECTRONIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES |
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| 14 | 14 | | INFORMATION AND APPLICATION SYSTEM |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 2301.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) "Department," "electronic government project," |
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| 17 | 17 | | "local government," and "state electronic Internet portal" have the |
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| 18 | 18 | | meanings assigned by Section 2054.003. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) "Monetary incentive" means a grant, loan, or other |
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| 20 | 20 | | form of monetary incentive paid from state or local government |
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| 21 | 21 | | revenues that a business entity may receive in exchange for or as a |
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| 22 | 22 | | result of conducting an activity with an economic development |
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| 23 | 23 | | purpose. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (3) "State agency" means a department, commission, |
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| 25 | 25 | | board, office, council, authority, or other state agency in the |
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| 26 | 26 | | executive branch of state government. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (4) "Tax incentive" means any exemption, deduction, |
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| 28 | 28 | | credit, exclusion, waiver, rebate, discount, deferral, or other |
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| 29 | 29 | | abatement or reduction of state or local government tax liability |
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| 30 | 30 | | of a business entity that the business entity may receive in |
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| 31 | 31 | | exchange for or as a result of conducting an activity with an |
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| 32 | 32 | | economic development purpose. |
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| 33 | 33 | | Sec. 2301.002. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROJECT. The department |
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| 34 | 34 | | shall establish an electronic government project to develop an |
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| 35 | 35 | | Internet website accessible through the state electronic Internet |
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| 36 | 36 | | portal that: |
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| 37 | 37 | | (1) provides a single location that a business entity |
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| 38 | 38 | | considering relocating to or expanding in this state may use to |
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| 39 | 39 | | receive information relating to state and local government monetary |
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| 40 | 40 | | and tax incentives for which the entity may be qualified; |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2) includes an interactive tool that allows a |
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| 42 | 42 | | business entity to: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (A) determine whether the entity may be eligible |
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| 44 | 44 | | for any state or local government monetary or tax incentive in this |
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| 45 | 45 | | state; and |
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| 46 | 46 | | (B) receive an estimate of the state and local |
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| 47 | 47 | | government monetary and tax incentives for which the entity may be |
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| 48 | 48 | | eligible; |
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| 49 | 49 | | (3) allows, when feasible, the business entity to fill |
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| 50 | 50 | | out one application for all state and local government monetary and |
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| 51 | 51 | | tax incentives for which the entity may be eligible; and |
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| 52 | 52 | | (4) allows, when feasible, for the application to be |
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| 53 | 53 | | submitted to each state agency or local government that offers the |
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| 54 | 54 | | monetary or tax incentive for which the business entity may be |
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| 55 | 55 | | eligible. |
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| 56 | 56 | | Sec. 2301.003. ESTABLISHING AND OPERATING PROJECT; |
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| 57 | 57 | | COORDINATION. In establishing and operating the electronic |
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| 58 | 58 | | government project under this chapter, the department, in |
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| 59 | 59 | | coordination with the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office |
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| 60 | 60 | | and the comptroller, and with the assistance of officials of local |
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| 61 | 61 | | governments, shall direct, coordinate, and assist state agencies |
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| 62 | 62 | | and local governments in establishing and using: |
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| 63 | 63 | | (1) a common electronic application and reporting |
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| 64 | 64 | | system, including: |
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| 65 | 65 | | (A) a standard format for announcing monetary and |
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| 66 | 66 | | tax incentive opportunities; |
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| 67 | 67 | | (B) standard data elements for use in creating |
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| 68 | 68 | | monetary and tax incentive opportunity announcement summaries, |
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| 69 | 69 | | including existing monetary and tax incentives and search |
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| 70 | 70 | | functions; and |
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| 71 | 71 | | (C) a common application form for a person to use |
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| 72 | 72 | | in applying for a monetary or tax incentive from multiple state |
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| 73 | 73 | | agencies and local governments; and |
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| 74 | 74 | | (2) a process for: |
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| 75 | 75 | | (A) improving interagency and intergovernmental |
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| 76 | 76 | | coordination of information collection and sharing of data relating |
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| 77 | 77 | | to monetary and tax incentives; and |
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| 78 | 78 | | (B) improving the timeliness, completeness, and |
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| 79 | 79 | | quality of applications received by a state agency or local |
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| 80 | 80 | | government for monetary and tax incentives. |
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| 81 | 81 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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