House File 2736 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC
                                           GROWTH

                                       (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2497)


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to economic development by creating a bioscience
  2    funding board and bioscience fund, providing tax incentives
  3    under the high quality job creation Act, and providing an
  4    exempt activity for foreign corporations, and including
  5    effective and retroactive applicability date provisions.
  6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  7 TLSB 5331HV 81
  8 tm/cf/24

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  15E.361  BIOSCIENCE FUNDING BOARD
  1  2 == BIOSCIENCE FUND.
  1  3    1.  A bioscience funding board is established for purposes
  1  4 of funding bioscience=related projects.  The board shall award
  1  5 financial assistance from moneys available in the bioscience
  1  6 fund created in subsection 4.  Financial assistance shall not
  1  7 be used to pay the salary of a salaried employee, but may be
  1  8 used to pay the salary of a contract employee provided the
  1  9 employment contract is for not more than five years.
  1 10 Financial assistance may only be used to partially fund an
  1 11 endowed chair position if significant private contributions
  1 12 are used to fund the position.
  1 13    2.  The board shall consist of the following members:
  1 14    a.  Three members of the state board of regents appointed
  1 15 by the governor and confirmed by the senate pursuant to
  1 16 section 2.32.
  1 17    b.  Three members of a single bioscience development
  1 18 organization identified by the department pursuant to section
  1 19 15G.111, subsection 2, appointed by the governor and confirmed
  1 20 by the senate pursuant to section 2.32.
  1 21    c.  Three members appointed by the Iowa economic
  1 22 development board and confirmed by the senate pursuant to
  1 23 section 2.32.
  1 24    d.  One member selected by the members of the board who
  1 25 shall serve as the president of the board.
  1 26    3.  The terms of the appointed members shall be staggered
  1 27 as determined by the governor.  A vacancy shall be filled by
  1 28 the appointing authority.  Members shall serve three=year
  1 29 terms and may be reappointed.
  1 30    4.  A bioscience fund is created in the state treasury
  1 31 under the control of the board and consisting of any moneys
  1 32 appropriated by the general assembly and any other moneys
  1 33 available to and obtained or accepted by the board for
  1 34 placement in the fund.  Payments of interest, repayments of
  1 35 moneys loaned pursuant to this section, and recaptures of
  2  1 loans shall be deposited in the fund.  The fund shall be used
  2  2 to provide grants, loans, forgivable loans, loan guarantees,
  2  3 and other forms of assistance pursuant to subsection 1.
  2  4 Moneys in the fund are not subject to section 8.33.
  2  5 Notwithstanding section 12C.7, interest or earnings on moneys
  2  6 in the fund shall be credited to the fund.  The board shall
  2  7 ensure that the fund is an ongoing, self=sustaining fund.
  2  8    Sec. 2.  Section 15.335A, Code Supplement 2005, is amended
  2  9 by adding the following new subsection:
  2 10    NEW SUBSECTION.  7.  a.  In calculating the annual wage,
  2 11 including benefits, pursuant to subsection 1, the department
  2 12 shall not require a certain wage level, without benefits, to
  2 13 be met.
  2 14    b.  In calculating the value of benefits pursuant to
  2 15 subsection 1, if an employer offers medical insurance under
  2 16 both single and family coverage plans, the employer shall be
  2 17 given credit for providing medical insurance under family
  2 18 coverage plans to fifty percent of the number of new high=
  2 19 quality jobs employees.
  2 20    Sec. 3.  Section 15G.112, subsection 1, Code Supplement
  2 21 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  2 22    1.  In order to receive financial assistance from the
  2 23 department from moneys appropriated from the grow Iowa values
  2 24 fund, the average annual wage, including benefits, of new jobs
  2 25 created must be equal to or greater than one hundred thirty
  2 26 percent of the average county wage.  The department shall not
  2 27 require any other wage level to be met.  For purposes of this
  2 28 section, "average county wage" and "benefits" mean the same as
  2 29 defined in section 15I.1.
  2 30    Sec. 4.  Section 15I.1, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code
  2 31 Supplement 2005, is amended to read as follows:
  2 32    a.  Medical and dental insurance plans.  If an employer
  2 33 offers medical insurance under both single and family coverage
  2 34 plans, the employer shall be given credit for providing
  2 35 medical insurance under family coverage plans to the greater
  3  1 of fifty percent of the new employees or the actual percentage
  3  2 of new employees.
  3  3    Sec. 5.  Section 422.34A, Code 2005, is amended by adding
  3  4 the following new subsection:
  3  5    NEW SUBSECTION.  8.  Storing tangible personal property in
  3  6 a warehouse located in Iowa which is not owned by the
  3  7 corporation provided that none of the goods are delivered or
  3  8 shipped so as to be included in the gross sales of the
  3  9 corporation within this state as provided in section 422.33,
  3 10 subsection 2, paragraph "b", subparagraph (6).
  3 11    Sec. 6.  EFFECTIVE AND RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY DATE.
  3 12    1.  Section 2 of this Act, being deemed of immediate
  3 13 importance, takes effect upon enactment and applies
  3 14 retroactively to June 9, 2005.
  3 15    2.  Section 5 of this Act, being deemed of immediate
  3 16 importance, takes effect upon enactment and applies
  3 17 retroactively to January 1, 2006, for tax years beginning on
  3 18 or after that date.
  3 19                           EXPLANATION
  3 20    This bill relates to economic development by creating a
  3 21 bioscience funding board and bioscience fund, providing tax
  3 22 incentives under the high quality job creation Act, and
  3 23 providing an income tax exempt activity for foreign
  3 24 corporations.
  3 25    The bill establishes a bioscience funding board for
  3 26 purposes of funding bioscience=related projects.  The bill
  3 27 provides that the board shall award financial assistance from
  3 28 moneys in the bioscience fund.  The bill prohibits the use of
  3 29 financial assistance for paying the salary of a salaried
  3 30 employee, but allows the use of paying the salary of certain
  3 31 contract employees.  The bill allows financial assistance to
  3 32 be used to partially fund an endowed chair position only if
  3 33 significant private contributions are used to fund the
  3 34 position.  The bill creates a bioscience fund in the state
  3 35 treasury under the control of the board and consisting of any
  4  1 moneys appropriated by the general assembly and any other
  4  2 moneys available to and obtained or accepted by the board for
  4  3 placement in the fund.
  4  4    In determining eligibility for tax incentives under the
  4  5 high quality job creation Act, a calculation of the annual
  4  6 wage, including benefits, of new high=quality jobs created
  4  7 must be performed.  The bill provides that, in making the
  4  8 calculation, the department shall not require a certain wage
  4  9 level, without benefits, to be met.  The bill provides that,
  4 10 in making a calculation of the value of benefits, if an
  4 11 employer offers medical insurance under both single and family
  4 12 coverage plans, the employer shall be given credit for
  4 13 providing medical insurance under family coverage plans to 50
  4 14 percent of the number of new high=quality jobs employees.
  4 15 This provision of the bill takes effect upon enactment and
  4 16 applies retroactively to June 9, 2005.
  4 17    Currently, in order to receive financial assistance from
  4 18 the department of economic development from moneys
  4 19 appropriated from the grow Iowa values fund, the average
  4 20 annual wage, including benefits, of new jobs created must be
  4 21 equal to or greater than 130 percent of the average county
  4 22 wage.  The bill prohibits the department from requiring any
  4 23 other wage level to be met.
  4 24    Currently, under the wage=benefits tax credit program, the
  4 25 term "benefits" is defined to include certain benefits, one of
  4 26 which is medical and dental insurance plans.  The bill
  4 27 provides that if an employer offers medical insurance under
  4 28 both single and family coverage plans, the employer shall be
  4 29 given credit for providing medical insurance under family
  4 30 coverage plans to the greater of 50 percent of the new
  4 31 employees or the actual percentage of new employees.
  4 32    The bill provides that a foreign corporation shall not be
  4 33 considered doing business in this state or deriving income
  4 34 from sources within this state for the purposes of corporate
  4 35 income tax liability by the storing of tangible personal
  5  1 property in a warehouse located in Iowa which is not owned by
  5  2 the corporation provided that none of the goods are delivered
  5  3 or shipped so as to be included in the gross sales of the
  5  4 corporation within this state due to being delivered or
  5  5 shipped to a purchaser within this state.  This provision
  5  6 takes effect upon enactment and applies retroactively to
  5  7 January 1, 2006.
  5  8 LSB 5331HV 81
  5  9 tm:rj/cf/24.1