1997 Minnesota Statutes

     469.305 Enterprise zone credits. 

    Subdivision 1.    Incentive grants.  (a) An incentive 
 grant is available to businesses located in an enterprise zone 
 that meet the conditions of this section.  Each city designated 
 as an enterprise zone is allocated $3,000,000 to be used to 
 provide grants under this section for the duration of the 
 program.  Each city of the second class designated as an 
 economically depressed area by the United States Department of 
 Commerce is allocated $300,000 to be used to provide grants 
 under this section for the duration of the program.  For fiscal 
 year 1998 and subsequent years, the proration in section 469.31 
 shall continue to apply until the amount designated in this 
 subdivision is expended.  For the allocation in fiscal year 1998 
 and subsequent years, the commissioner may use up to 15 percent 
 of the allocation to the city of Minneapolis for a grant to the 
 city of Minneapolis and up to 15 percent of the allocation to 
 the city of St. Paul for a grant to the city of St. Paul, for 
 administration of the program or employment services provided to 
 the employers and employees involved in the incentive grant 
 program under this section. 

    (b) The incentive grant is in an amount equal to 20 percent 
 of the wages paid to an employee, not to exceed $5,000 per 
 employee per calendar year.  The incentive grant is available to 
 an employer for a zone resident employed in the zone at 
 full-time wage levels of not less than 110 percent of the 
 federal poverty level for a family of four, as determined by the 
 United States Department of Agriculture.  The incentive grant is 
 not available to workers employed in construction or employees 
 of financial institutions, gambling enterprises, public 
 utilities, sports, fitness, and health facilities, or 
 racetracks.  The employee must be employed at that rate at the 
 time the business applies for a grant, and must have been 
 employed for at least one year at the business.  A grant may be 
 provided only for new jobs; for purposes of this section, a "new 
 job" is a job that did not exist in Minnesota before May 6, 
 1994.  The incentive grant authority is available for the five 
 calendar years after the application has been approved to the 
 extent the allocation to the city remains available to fund the 
 grants, and if the city certifies to the commissioner on an 
 annual basis that the business is in compliance with the plan to 
 recruit, hire, train, and retain zone residents.  The employer 
 may designate an organization that provides employment services 
 to receive all or a portion of the employer's incentive grant. 

    Subd. 2. Repealed, 1995 c 256 s 33 

    Subd. 3.    Review and analysis.  The city must submit 
 the incentive grant proposal to the commissioner for approval.  
 The proposal shall include a plan to recruit, hire, train, and 
 retain zone residents.  The proposal shall be approved unless 
 the commissioner finds that the proposal is not in conformity 
 with the provisions of sections 469.301 to 469.308. 

    If the city submits the incentive grant proposal to the 
 commissioner before the expiration of the zone designation under 
 section 469.302, subdivision 2, the authority of the 
 commissioner to approve the proposal continues until the 
 commissioner acts on the proposal. 

    HIST: 1994 c 587 art 12 s 16; 1995 c 256 s 10,11; 1997 c 200 
 art 1 s 73