HOUSE BILL 236
48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2007
INTRODUCED BY
Ben Lujan
FOR THE
ECONOMIC AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
AN ACT
RELATING TO TAXATION; PROVIDING FOR INCREASED TAX CREDITS PURSUANT TO THE LABORATORY PARTNERSHIP WITH SMALL BUSINESS TAX CREDIT ACT; ADDING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE TAX CREDITS; INCREASING ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS THAT MAY BE CLAIMED AS QUALIFIED EXPENDITURES FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLAIMING THE TAX CREDITS; PROVIDING FOR COORDINATION OF EFFORTS BETWEEN NATIONAL LABORATORIES PROVIDING SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PURSUANT TO THE LABORATORY PARTNERSHIP WITH SMALL BUSINESS TAX CREDIT ACT; PROVIDING REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE NATIONAL LABORATORIES; MAKING TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section 1. Section 7-9E-1 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2000 (2nd S.S.), Chapter 20, Section 1) is amended to read:
"7-9E-1. SHORT TITLE.--[This act] Chapter 7, Article 9E NMSA 1978 may be cited as the "Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act"."
Section 2. Section 7-9E-3 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2000 (2nd S.S.), Chapter 20, Section 3) is amended to read:
"7-9E-3. DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act:
A. "contractor":
(1) means [an entity] a person that:
(a) has the capability to provide small business assistance; and
(b) may enter into a contract with a national laboratory to provide small business assistance; and [is
(1) an individual, estate, trust, receiver, cooperative association, club, corporation, company, firm, partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, joint venture, syndicate or other entity, including any]
(2) includes:
(a) a gas, water or electric utility owned or operated by a county, municipality or other political subdivision of the state; or
[(2) any] (b) a national, federal, state, Indian or other governmental unit or subdivision, or [any] an agency, department or instrumentality of any of the foregoing;
B. "department" means the taxation and revenue department, the secretary of taxation and revenue or [any] an employee of the department exercising authority lawfully delegated to that employee by the secretary;
C. "national laboratory" means a prime contractor designated as a national laboratory by act of congress that is operating a facility in New Mexico;
D. "qualified expenditure" means an expenditure by a national laboratory in providing small business assistance, limited to the following expenditures incurred in providing the assistance:
(1) employee salaries [and], wages, fringe benefits and employer payroll taxes;
(2) [fringe benefits, employer payroll taxes and other] administrative costs related directly to the provision of small business assistance, the total of which is limited to forty-nine percent of employee salaries [and], wages, fringe benefits and employer payroll taxes;
(3) in-state travel expenses, including per diem and mileage at the internal revenue service standard rates; and
(4) supplies and services of contractors related to the provision of small business assistance;
E. "rural area" means [any] an area of the state [other than] outside of the exterior boundaries of a class A county that has a net taxable value for rate-setting purposes for any property tax year of more than seven billion dollars ($7,000,000,000);
F. "small business" means a business in New Mexico that conforms to the definition of small business found in the federal Small Business Act [(Public Law 85-536), as amended]; and
G. "small business assistance" means assistance rendered by a national laboratory related to the transfer of technology, including software [and], manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, environmental, agricultural, information and solar and other alternative energy source technologies. "Small business assistance" [also] includes nontechnical assistance related to expanding the New Mexico base of suppliers, including training and mentoring individual small businesses; assistance in developing business systems to meet audit, reporting and quality [assistance] assurance requirements; and other supplier development initiatives for individual small businesses."
Section 3. Section 7-9E-5 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2000 (2nd S.S.), Chapter 20, Section 5) is amended to read:
"7-9E-5. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.--A national laboratory is eligible for a tax credit in an amount equal to qualified expenditures if:
A. the small business assistance is rendered to a small business located in New Mexico;
B. the small business assistance is completed; [and]
C. the small business certifies to the national laboratory that the small business assistance provided is not otherwise available to the small business at a reasonable cost through private industry;
D. the national laboratory provides written notice to each small business to which it is providing small business assistance of the option that the small business has to obtain ownership of or license to tangible or intangible property developed from the small business assistance;
E. the national laboratory requires small businesses to which it is providing small business assistance to acknowledge only after the small business assistance is completed that the small business assistance has been rendered; and
F. the national laboratory provides forms for small business requests and for completion of small business assistance that are in accordance with the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act and other applicable state and federal laws."
Section 4. Section 7-9E-7 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2000 (2nd S.S.), Chapter 20, Section 7) is amended to read:
"7-9E-7. TAX CREDITS--AMOUNTS.--[Each] A tax credit provided [for] pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act shall be in an amount equal to the qualified expenditure incurred by the national laboratory to provide small business assistance to a specific small business, not to exceed [five thousand dollars ($5,000)] ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each small business located outside of a rural area for which small business assistance is rendered in a calendar year or [ten thousand dollars ($10,000)] twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) if the small business assistance was provided to a small business located in a rural area."
Section 5. Section 7-9E-8 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2000 (2nd S.S.), Chapter 20, Section 8) is amended to read:
"7-9E-8. CLAIMING THE TAX CREDIT--LIMITATION.--
A. A national laboratory eligible for the tax credit pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act may claim the amount of each tax credit by crediting that amount against gross receipts taxes otherwise due pursuant to the Gross Receipts and Compensating Tax Act. The tax credit shall be taken on each monthly gross receipts tax return filed by the laboratory against gross receipts taxes due the state and shall not impact any local government tax distribution. In no event shall the tax credits taken by an individual national laboratory exceed [one million eight hundred thousand dollars ($1,800,000)] two million four hundred thousand dollars ($2,400,000) in a given calendar year.
B. Tax credits claimed pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act by all national laboratories in the aggregate for qualified expenditures for a specific small business not located in a rural area shall not exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
C. Tax credits claimed pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act by all national laboratories in the aggregate for qualified expenditures for a specific small business located in a rural area shall not exceed twenty thousand dollars ($20,000)."
Section 6. A new section of the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act is enacted to read:
"[NEW MATERIAL] COORDINATION BETWEEN NATIONAL LABORATORIES.--If more than one national laboratory is eligible for a tax credit pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act, a national laboratory shall not file a tax credit claim pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act until:
A. coordination is developed between the national laboratories providing small business assistance pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act that generates a joint small business assistance operational plan and a plan to ensure that the small business assistance provided by a national laboratory suits the small business's needs and challenges; and
B. a written copy of each plan formed pursuant to this section is provided to the department."
Section 7. A new section of the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act is enacted to read:
"[NEW MATERIAL] REPORTING.--
A. By October 15 of each year, a national laboratory that has claimed a tax credit pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act for the previous calendar year shall submit an annual report in writing to the department, the economic development department and an appropriate legislative interim committee.
B. If more than one national laboratory claims a tax credit pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act for the previous calendar year, those laboratories shall jointly submit an annual report to the department, the economic development department and an appropriate legislative interim committee no later than October 15 following the calendar year in which the small business assistance was provided.
C. An annual report shall summarize activities related to and the results of the small business assistance programs that were provided by one or more national laboratories and shall include:
(1) a summary of the program results and the number of small businesses assisted in each county;
(2) a description of the projects involving multiple small businesses;
(3) results of surveys of small businesses to which small business assistance is provided;
(4) the total amount of the tax credits claimed pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act for the year on which the report is based; and
(5) an economic impact study of jobs created, jobs retained, cost savings and increased sales generated by small businesses for which small business assistance is provided.
D. At any time after receipt of an annual report required pursuant to this section from one or more national laboratories eligible for tax credits authorized pursuant to the Laboratory Partnership with Small Business Tax Credit Act, the department or the economic development department may provide written instructions to a national laboratory identifying future improvements in the laboratory's small business assistance program for which it receives that tax credit."
Section 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2007.