15-4-3202. Definitions.

15-4-3202. Definitions. As used in this subchapter: (1) “Amendment 82 agreement” means a contract between the state and a sponsor under which the state is to provide Amendment 82 bond financing in exchange for the sponsor's agreeing to make an investment and to locate a new business or substantially expand an existing business in the State of Arkansas in accordance with the requirements of Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter. At a minimum, the agreement shall contain the following provisions: (A) The infrastructure needs or other needs, or both, to be provided by the state in support of the qualified Amendment 82 project and financed under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter; (B) A description of all other economic incentives to be provided by the state in connection with the qualified Amendment 82 project; (C) The commitments of the sponsor, if any, with regard to investment and job creation associated with the qualified Amendment 82 project, including timetables for meeting and maintaining any investment and job creation requirements; (D) The agreement of the sponsor to make all specified records pertaining to the sponsor's commitments available for annual audit by the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State and, upon request, but no more often than annually, by the Office of Economic and Tax Policy of the Bureau of Legislative Research or a person or entity retained by the office; (E) Performance benchmarks and economic goals of the qualified Amendment 82 project; and (F) The penalties to be applied if the sponsor does not satisfy its commitments under the Amendment 82 agreement; (2) “Average hourly wage” means the weekly earnings, excluding overtime, bonuses, and company-paid benefits, of all new full-time permanent employees hired after the execution date of the Amendment 82 agreement divided by forty (40) and then divided by the number of new full-time permanent employees; (3) “Bonds” means general obligation bonds issued under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter; (4) “Chief Fiscal Officer of the State” means the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State of Arkansas, who is also the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration; (5) “Contractual employee” means an employee who: (A) May be included in the payroll calculations of a sponsor qualifying for bond financing under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter and is under the direct supervision of the sponsor receiving benefits under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter, but is an employee of a business other than the one receiving benefits under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter; (B) Otherwise meets the requirements of a new full-time permanent employee of the sponsor receiving benefits under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter; (C) Receives an average hourly wage that exceeds the lesser of: (i) The county average hourly wage for the county in which the position or job is located; or (ii) The state average hourly wage; and (D) Receives a benefits package, including, without limitation, health and retirement benefits comparable to direct employees of the sponsor receiving benefits under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter; (6) “County average hourly wage” means the weighted average weekly earnings for Arkansas residents in all industries countywide as calculated by the Division of Workforce Services in its most recent Annual Covered Employment and Earnings publication, divided by forty (40); (7) “Debt service” means principal, interest, redemption premiums, if any, and servicing fees relative to the bonds, including without limitation: (A) Trustees' fees; (B) Paying agents' fees; (C) Dissemination agents' fees; (D) Administrative fees; (E) Issuer's fees; (F) Guarantee fees; (G) Counsel fees; and (H) Fees related to arbitrage compliance or rebate calculations; (8)(A) “Existing employee” means an employee hired by a sponsor before the date the Amendment 82 agreement was executed. (B) An existing employee may be considered a new full-time permanent employee for purposes of Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter only if: (i) The position or job filled by the existing employee was created in accordance with the Amendment 82 agreement; and (ii) The position vacated by the existing employee was filled by a subsequent employee who was not an existing employee, or no subsequent employee will be hired because the sponsor no longer conducts the particular business activity requiring that employee; (9) “Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation” means the federal agency by that name or any successor agency that insures deposits of commercial banks; (10) “General revenues” means the revenues of the state described and enumerated in § 19-6-201 or in any successor law; (11) “Infrastructure needs” means: (A) Land acquisition; (B) Site preparation; (C) Road and highway improvements; (D) Rail spur, railroad, and railport construction; (E) Water service; (F) Wastewater treatment; (G) Employee training, which may include equipment used for the training; (H) Environmental mitigation or reclamation; (I) Training and research facilities and the necessary equipment for the facilities; or (J) Any other facility, activity, or infrastructure determined by the General Assembly to fall within the parameters of Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82; (12)(A) “Investment” means money expended by the sponsor on capital assets physically located within the state and directly related to the qualified Amendment 82 project, but which are not required to be owned by the sponsor. (B) “Investment” shall not include amounts expended in aid of the qualified Amendment 82 project by the state under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter, or otherwise, or amounts expended in aid of the qualified Amendment 82 project by a local entity, however financed, which are not required to be repaid by the sponsor; (13) “Letter of commitment” means a binding agreement signed by a sponsor and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission that at a minimum contains the following provisions: (A) A determination by the commission that the sponsor has the financial capability, business history, and corporate intent to implement and maintain a qualified Amendment 82 project; (B) A commitment by the sponsor that the sponsor intends to locate a new business or substantially expand an existing business in the State of Arkansas and a description of any other commitments made by the sponsor; (C) A tentative timetable for development of the proposed project; (D) The consequences if the sponsor does not satisfy its obligations under the letter of commitment; and (E) A statement from the commission that its obligation under the letter of commitment is limited to presenting the letter of commitment and supporting documentation to the Governor, who may or may not elect to present the proposal to the General Assembly for its consideration; (14) “Local entity” means any nonprofit corporation, county, city of the first class, city of the second class, incorporated town, improvement district, school district, or any agency or instrumentality of the state, including the Arkansas Development Finance Authority and the commission; (15) “Nationally recognized rating agency” means Moody's Investors Service, Inc., Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, Fitch Ratings, Inc., or any other nationally recognized rating agency approved by the Treasurer of State; (16) “New full-time permanent employee” means a position or job that is created under an Amendment 82 agreement and that is filled by one (1) employee or contractual employee who is an Arkansas taxpayer. In order to count toward the job creation requirements of Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter: (A) The position or job held by the employee must be filled for at least twenty-six (26) consecutive weeks with an average of at least thirty (30) hours' work per week; (B) The employee must receive an average hourly wage that exceeds the lesser of: (i) The county average hourly wage for the county in which the position or job is located; or (ii) The state average hourly wage; (C) The employee must receive a benefits package, including without limitation, health and retirement benefits; and (D) The employee is not an existing employee; (17)(A) “New job” means a position for a new full-time permanent employee created at a qualified Amendment 82 project in the state. (B) “New job” shall not include a job filled by an existing employee; (18) “Other needs” means financial or other noninfrastructure incentives that are approved by the General Assembly as part of a qualified Amendment 82 project and may include, without limitation, transactions that include loans, grants, or lease arrangements; (19) “Outstanding bonded indebtedness” means the principal balance of all bonds issued under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter; (20) “Project costs” means: (A) All or any part of the costs of infrastructure needs or other needs for a proposed or qualified Amendment 82 project and costs incidental or appropriate to the proposed or qualified Amendment 82 project, including without limitation: (i) All costs incurred by the sponsor in developing a proposed project or qualified Amendment 82 project, whether before or after the Amendment 82 agreement has been executed and bonds have been issued under this subchapter; and (ii) All costs to the commission associated with the development or operation of a qualified Amendment 82 project in a supervisory capacity; and (B) Costs incidental or appropriate to the financing of the proposed or qualified Amendment 82 project, including without limitation: (i) Capitalized interest; (ii) Costs of issuance; (iii) Funding of appropriate reserves for the bonds; (iv) Loan fees; (v) Guarantee fees; (vi) Commitment fees; (vii) Grant administration fees; (viii) Surety bond premiums; (ix) Bond insurance; (x) Credit enhancement; (xi) Fees of nationally recognized rating agencies; (xii) Liquidity facilities fees; and (xiii) Costs for engineering, legal, and other administrative and consultant services; (21) “Proposed project” means a project which if developed as proposed would meet the criteria for a qualified Amendment 82 project and is therefore properly considered under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter; (22) “Qualified Amendment 82 project” means a proposed project that has satisfied the requirements of Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter with respect to which the General Assembly has approved the issuance of bonds under Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 82, and this subchapter; (23) “Related entity” means any entity or person that bears a relationship to the sponsor as described in 26 U.S.C. § 267, as in existence on January 1, 2005; (24) “Sponsor” means a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, joint venture, or association taxable as a business entity, or any combination of these entities, that qualifies as an eligible business under the Consolidated Incentive Act of 2003, § 15-4-2701 et seq.; and (25) “State average hourly wage” means the weighted average weekly earnings for Arkansas residents in all industries statewide as calculated by the Division of Workforce Services in its most recent Annual Covered Employment and Earnings publication, divided by forty (40).