Bill Text: VA SB1732 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: MEI Commission; incentives for episodic television series.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-01 - Incorporated by Rules [SB1732 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-SB1732-Introduced.html
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §§30-309 through 30-312 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:
§30-309. MEI Project Approval Commission; membership; terms; compensation and expenses; definition.
A. The MEI Project Approval Commission (the Commission) is established as an advisory commission in the legislative branch of state government. The purpose of the Commission shall be to review financing for individual incentive packages, including but not limited to packages offering tax incentives, for economic development projects (including but not limited to MEI projects) and episodic television series for which (i) one or more of the incentives in the incentive package is not authorized under current law or an amendment by the General Assembly is being sought to one or more currently existing incentives included as part of the incentive package or (ii) the aggregate amount of incentives to be provided by the Commonwealth in the incentive package including grants, tax incentives such as credits and exemptions, general or nongeneral funds, proceeds from bonds, rights to lease property at below fair market value, or any other incentives from the Commonwealth is in excess of $10 million in value.
B. The Commission shall consist of 10 members as follows: five members of the House Committee on Appropriations or the House Committee on Finance appointed by the chair of the House Committee on Appropriations and three members of the Senate Committee on Finance appointed by the chair of the Senate Committee on Finance. In addition, the Secretaries of Finance and Commerce and Trade shall serve as ex officio, nonvoting members of the Commission.
C. Members shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Vacancies for unexpired terms shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. Members may be reappointed for successive terms.
D. The members of the Commission shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman annually. A majority of the voting members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of the Commission shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever the majority of the members so request.
E. Legislative members of the Commission shall receive such compensation as provided in §30-19.12, and nonlegislative members shall receive such compensation as provided in §2.2-2813.
F. As used in this chapter, "MEI project" means the same as that term is defined in §2.2-2260.
§30-310. Review of incentive packages.
A. 1. The Commission shall review individual incentive
packages, including but not limited to packages offering tax incentives, for
economic development projects (including but not limited to MEI projects) and episodic television series
for which (i) one or more of the incentives in the incentive package is not
authorized under current law or an amendment by the General Assembly is being
sought to one or more currently existing incentives included as part of the
incentive package or (ii) the aggregate amount of incentives to be provided by
the Commonwealth in the incentive package including grants, tax incentives such
as credits and exemptions, general or nongeneral funds, proceeds from bonds,
rights to lease property at below fair market value, or any other incentives
from the Commonwealth is in excess of $10 million in value. The Commission
shall also review economic development projects in which a business relocates
or expands its operations in one or more Virginia localities and simultaneously
closes its operations or substantially reduces the number of its employees in
another Virginia locality. The Commission shall recommend approval or denial of
such packages and projects to the General Assembly. Factors that shall be
considered by the Commission in its review shall include, but not be limited to, (i) return on investment,;
(ii) the time frame for repayment of incentives to the Commonwealth,;
(iii) the average wages of the jobs
created by the prospective MEI project or, other economic development
project, or episodic television series;
(iv) the amount of capital investment that is required,; and (v) the need for enhanced
employment opportunities in the prospective location of the prospective MEI
project or,
other economic development project, or episodic television
series.
2. a. Any time a proposed individual incentive package is to
be considered by the Commission, materials outlining (i) the value of the
proposed incentives, (ii) assumed return on investment, (iii) the time frame
for repayment of incentives to the Commonwealth, (iv) the
average wages of the jobs created by the prospective MEI project or,
other economic development project, or episodic television
series, (v) the amount of capital
investment that is required, and (vi) the need for enhanced employment
opportunities in the prospective location of the prospective MEI project or,
other economic development project, or episodic television
series shall be provided to the Commission members not less
than 48 hours prior to the scheduled Commission meeting.
b. The timing of any request for an endorsement of a proposed individual incentive package should be scheduled so that the MEI Commission could, at its discretion, have up to seven days subsequent to the presentation of the incentive package prior to endorsing or rejecting such proposal.
B. An affirmative vote by three of the five members of the Commission from the House of Delegates and two of the three members of the Commission from the Senate shall be required to endorse any incentive package, including but not limited to packages offering tax incentives, for economic development projects (including but not limited to MEI projects) and episodic television series for which (i) one or more of the incentives in the incentive package is not authorized under current law or an amendment by the General Assembly is being sought to one or more currently existing incentives included as part of the incentive package or (ii) the aggregate amount of incentives to be provided by the Commonwealth in the incentive package, including grants, tax incentives such as credits and exemptions, general or nongeneral funds, proceeds from bonds, rights to lease property at below fair market value, or any other incentives from the Commonwealth, is in excess of $10 million in value. Such vote shall also be required to endorse any economic development project in which a business relocates or expands its operations in one or more Virginia localities and simultaneously closes its operations or substantially reduces the number of its employees in another Virginia locality.
§30-311. Staff; cooperation from other state agencies.
Administrative staff support shall be provided by the staffs of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Finance Committee. Additional assistance as needed shall be provided by the Auditor of Public Accounts, the Virginia Economic Development Authority, the Virginia Film Office, or the Virginia Public Building Authority.
§30-312. Commission report to General Assembly.
The Commission shall report annually by the first day of each
General Assembly Regular Session on all endorsed incentive packages for which
an offer has been made and publicly announced. Staff identified in §30-311
shall assist the commission in preparing such report, which shall contain the
following information: (i) the industrial sector of the MEI project or,
other economic development project, or episodic television
series; (ii) known competitor states,;
(iii) employment creation and capital investment expectations,;
(iv) anticipated average annual wage of the new jobs,; (v) local and state returns
on investment as prepared by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Authority, or the
Virginia Film Office; (vi) expected time frame for
repayment of the incentives to the Commonwealth in the form of direct and
indirect general tax revenues,; (vii) details of the proposed
incentive package, including the breakdown of the components into various uses
and an expected timeline for payments,; and (viii) draft legislation
or amendments to the Appropriation Act appropriation act that propose
financing for the endorsed incentive package through the Virginia Public
Building Authority or any other proposed funding or financing mechanisms.