238.13
238.13
Brownfields grant program. 238.13(1)(a)
(a) "Brownfields" means abandoned, idle or underused industrial or commercial facilities or sites, the expansion or redevelopment of which is adversely affected by actual or perceived environmental contamination.
238.13(1)(b)
(b) "Brownfields redevelopment" means any work or undertaking by a person to acquire a brownfields facility or site and to raze, demolish, remove, reconstruct, renovate, or rehabilitate the facility or existing buildings, structures, or other improvements at the site for the purpose of promoting the use of the facility or site for commercial, industrial, or other purposes. "Brownfields redevelopment" does not include construction of new facilities on the site for any purpose other than environmental remediation activities.
238.13(1)(d)
(d) "Environmental remediation activities" means investigation, analysis and monitoring of a brownfields facility or site to determine the existence and extent of actual or potential environmental pollution; abating, removing or containing environmental pollution at a brownfields facility or site; or restoring soil or groundwater at a brownfields facility or site.
238.13(1)(g)
(g) "Person" means an individual, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, nonprofit organization, city, village, town, county, or trustee, including a trustee in bankruptcy.
238.13(2)(a)(a) The corporation may make a grant to a person if all of the following apply:
238.13(2)(a)1.
1. The recipient uses the grant proceeds for brownfields redevelopment or associated environmental remediation activities.
238.13(2)(a)1m.
1m. The recipient does not use the grant proceeds to pay lien claims of the department of natural resources or the federal environmental protection agency based on investigation or remediation activities of the department of natural resources or the federal environmental protection agency or to pay delinquent real estate taxes or interest or penalties that relate to those taxes.
238.13(2)(a)2.
2. All of the following are unknown, cannot be located, or are financially unable to pay the cost of environmental remediation activities:
238.13(2)(a)2.a.
a. The party that caused the portion of the environmental contamination that is the basis for the grant request.
238.13(2)(a)2.b.
b. Any person who possessed or controlled the environmental contaminant that is the basis for the grant request before the contaminant was released.
238.13(2)(a)3.
3. The recipient contributes to the cost of the project as provided in
par. (b).
238.13(2)(b)1.1. The contribution required under
par. (a) 3. may be in cash or in-kind. Cash contributions may be of private or public funds. In-kind contributions shall be limited to actual remediation services.
238.13(2)(b)2.
2. For a grant that does not exceed $300,000, the recipient shall be required to contribute not less than 20% of the cost of the project. For a grant that is greater than $300,000 but that does not exceed $700,000, the recipient shall be required to contribute not less than 35% of the cost of the project. For a grant that is greater than $700,000 but that does not exceed $1,250,000, the recipient shall be required to contribute not less than 50% of the cost of the project.
238.13(3)
(3) The corporation may consider the following criteria in making awards under this section:
238.13(3)(a)
(a) The potential of the project to promote economic development in the area.
238.13(3)(c)
(c) The level of financial commitment by the applicant to the project.
238.13(3)(d)
(d) The extent and degree of soil and groundwater contamination at the project site.
238.13(3)(e)
(e) The adequacy and completeness of the site investigation and remediation plan.
238.13(3)(f)
(f) Any other factors considered by the corporation to be relevant to assessing the viability and feasibility of the project.
238.13(5)
(5) Before the corporation awards a grant under this section, the corporation shall consider the recommendations of the department of administration and the department of natural resources.
238.13(6m)
(6m) Receipt of a grant under this section shall not render the recipient ineligible for a loan or any other grant awarded by the state, unless under the eligibility criteria of the loan or other grant the recipient is excluded by virtue of having received the grant.
238.133
238.133
Brownfield site assessment grants. 238.133(1)(a)
(a) "Eligible site or facility" means one or more contiguous industrial or commercial facilities or sites with common or multiple ownership that are abandoned, idle, or underused, the expansion or redevelopment of which is adversely affected by actual or perceived environmental contamination.
238.133(1)(b)
(b) "Local governmental unit" means a city, village, town, county, redevelopment authority created under
s. 66.1333, community development authority created under
s. 66.1335, or housing authority.
238.133(1)(d)
(d) "Underground hazardous substance storage tank system" means an underground storage tank used for storing a hazardous substance other than a petroleum product together with any on-site integral piping or dispensing system with at least 10% of its total volume below the surface of the ground.
238.133(2)(a)(a) The corporation shall administer a program to award brownfield site assessment grants from the appropriation under
s. 20.192 (1) (s) to local governmental units for the purposes of conducting any of the eligible activities under
sub. (3).
238.133(2)(b)
(b) The corporation may not award a grant to a local governmental unit under this section if that local governmental unit caused the environmental contamination that is the basis for the grant request.
238.133(2)(c)
(c) The corporation may only award grants under this section if the person that caused the environmental contamination that is the basis for the grant request is unknown, cannot be located or is financially unable to pay the cost of the eligible activities.
238.133(2)(d)
(d) The corporation shall establish criteria as necessary to administer the program. The corporation may limit the total amount of funds that may be used to cover the costs of each category of eligible activity described in
sub. (3).
238.133(3)
(3) Eligible activities. The corporation may award grants to local governmental units to cover the costs of the following activities:
238.133(3)(a)
(a) The investigation of environmental contamination on an eligible site or facility for the purposes of reducing or eliminating environmental contamination.
238.133(3)(b)
(b) The demolition of any structures, buildings or other improvements located on an eligible site or facility.
238.133(3)(c)
(c) The removal of abandoned containers, as defined in
s. 292.41 (1), from an eligible site or facility.
238.133(3)(d)
(d) Asbestos abatement activities, as defined in
s. 254.11 (2), conducted as part of activities described in
par. (b) on an eligible site or facility.
238.133(3)(e)
(e) The removal of underground hazardous substance storage tank systems.
238.133(3)(f)
(f) The removal of underground petroleum product storage tank systems.
238.133(4)
(4) Application for grant. The applicant shall submit an application on a form prescribed by the corporation and shall include any information that the corporation finds necessary to calculate the amount of a grant.
238.133(5)
(5) Grant criteria. The corporation shall consider the following criteria when determining whether to award a grant:
238.133(5)(a)
(a) The local governmental unit's demonstrated commitment to performing and completing necessary environmental remediation activities on the eligible site, including the local governmental unit's financial commitment.
238.133(5)(b)
(b) The degree to which the project will have a positive impact on public health and the environment.
238.133(5)(c)
(c) Other criteria that the corporation finds necessary to calculate the amount of a grant.
238.133(6)
(6) Limitation of grant. The total amount of all grants awarded to a local governmental unit in a fiscal year under this section shall be limited to an amount equal to 15% of the available funds appropriated under
s. 20.192 (1) (s) for the fiscal year.
238.133(7)
(7) Matching funds. The corporation may not distribute a grant unless the applicant contributes matching funds equal to 20% of the grant. Matching funds may be in the form of cash or in-kind contribution or both.
238.133 History
History: 1999 a. 9;
2001 a. 16,
30;
2011 a. 32 s.
2990r; Stats. 2011 s. 238.133;
2013 a. 20.
238.135
238.135
Grants to regional economic development organizations. The corporation shall award annual grants to regional economic development organizations to fund marketing activities. The amount of each grant may not exceed $100,000 or the amount of matching funds the organization obtains from sources other than the corporation or the state, whichever is less.
238.135 History
History: 2011 a. 32.
238.15
238.15
Early stage business investment program. 238.15(1)(1)
Angel investment tax credits. The corporation shall implement a program to certify businesses for purposes of
s. 71.07 (5d). A business desiring certification shall submit an application to the corporation in each taxable year for which the business desires certification. The business shall specify in its application the investment amount it wishes to raise and the corporation may certify the business and determine the amount that qualifies for purposes of
s. 71.07 (5d). The corporation may certify or recertify a business for purposes of
s. 71.07 (5d) only if the business satisfies all of the following conditions:
238.15(1)(b)
(b) At least 51 percent of the employees employed by the business are employed in this state.
238.15(1)(f)
(f) It has the potential for increasing jobs in this state, increasing capital investment in this state, or both, and any of the following apply:
238.15(1)(f)1.
1. It is engaged in, or has committed to engage in, innovation in any of the following:
238.15(1)(f)1.a.
a. Manufacturing, biotechnology, nanotechnology, communications, agriculture, or clean energy creation or storage technology.
238.15(1)(f)1.b.
b. Processing or assembling products, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, computer software, computer hardware, semiconductors, any other innovative technology products, or other products that are produced using manufacturing methods that are enabled by applying proprietary technology.
238.15(1)(f)1.c.
c. Services that are enabled by applying proprietary technology.
238.15(1)(f)2.
2. It is undertaking pre-commercialization activity related to proprietary technology that includes conducting research, developing a new product or business process, or developing a service that is principally reliant on applying proprietary technology.
238.15(1)(g)
(g) It is not primarily engaged in real estate development, insurance, banking, lending, lobbying, political consulting, professional services provided by attorneys, accountants, business consultants, physicians, or health care consultants, wholesale or retail trade, leisure, hospitality, transportation, or construction, except construction of power production plants that derive energy from a renewable resource, as defined in
s. 196.378 (1) (h).
238.15(1)(h)
(h) At the time it is initially certified under this subsection, it has less than 100 employees.
238.15(1)(j)
(j) At the time it is initially certified under this subsection, it has been in operation in this state for not more than 10 consecutive years.
238.15(1)(k)
(k) For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2008, it has not received more than $1,000,000 in investments that have qualified for tax credits under
s. 71.07 (5d).
238.15(1)(km)
(km) It has not received aggregate private equity investment in cash of more than $10,000,000 before it is initially certified under this subsection.
238.15(1)(m)1.1. It agrees that it will not relocate outside of this state during the 3 years after it receives an investment for which a person may claim a tax credit under
s. 71.07 (5d) and agrees to pay the corporation a penalty, in an amount determined under
subd. 2., if the business relocates outside of this state during that 3-year period. For the purposes of this paragraph, a business relocates outside of this state when the business locates more than 51 percent of any of the following outside of this state:
238.15(1)(m)1.c.
c. The activities of the business's headquarters, as determined by the corporation.
238.15(1)(m)2.
2. The amount of a penalty payment under
subd. 1. is any of the following:
238.15(1)(m)2.a.
a. If the relocation occurs less than 12 months after the investment, 100 percent of the tax credit that was claimed under
s. 71.07 (5d) as the result of the investment.
238.15(1)(m)2.b.
b. If the relocation occurs 12 months or more after the investment but less than 24 months after the investment, 80 percent of the tax credit that was claimed under
s. 71.07 (5d) as the result of the investment.
238.15(1)(m)2.c.
c. If the relocation occurs occurs 24 months or more after the investment but less than 36 months after the investment, 60 percent of the tax credit that was claimed under
s. 71.07 (5d) as the result of the investment.
238.15(2)
(2) Early stage seed investment tax credits. The corporation shall implement a program to certify investment fund managers for purposes of
ss. 71.07 (5b),
71.28 (5b),
71.47 (5b), and
76.638. An investment fund manager desiring certification shall submit an application to the corporation. The investment fund manager shall specify in the application the investment amount that the manager wishes to raise and the corporation may certify the manager and determine the amount that qualifies for purposes of
ss. 71.07 (5b),
71.28 (5b),
71.47 (5b), and
76.638. In determining whether to certify an investment fund manager, the corporation shall consider the investment fund manager's experience in managing venture capital funds, the past performance of investment funds managed by the applicant, the expected level of investment in the investment fund to be managed by the applicant, and any other relevant factors. The corporation may certify only investment fund managers that commit to consider placing investments in businesses certified under
sub. (1).
238.15(3)(a)(a)
List of certified businesses and investment fund managers. The corporation shall maintain a list of businesses certified under
sub. (1) and investment fund managers certified under
sub. (2) and shall permit public access to the lists through the corporation's Internet Web site.
238.15(3)(b)
(b)
Notification of department of revenue. The corporation shall notify the department of revenue of every certification issued under
subs. (1) and
(2) and the date on which any such certification is revoked or expires.
238.15(3)(d)
(d)
Rules. The corporation, in consultation with the department of revenue, shall adopt rules to administer this section. The rules shall further define "bona fide angel investment" for purposes of
s. 71.07 (5d) (a) 1. The rules shall limit the aggregate amount of tax credits under
s. 71.07 (5d) that may be claimed for investments in businesses certified under
sub. (1) at $3,000,000 per calendar year for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2004, and before January 1, 2008, $5,500,000 per calendar year for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2007, and before January 1, 2010, $6,500,000 for calendar year 2010, and $20,000,000 per calendar year for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2010, plus, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010, an additional $250,000 for tax credits that may be claimed for investments in nanotechnology businesses certified under
sub. (1). The rules shall also limit the aggregate amount of the tax credits under
ss. 71.07 (5b),
71.28 (5b),
71.47 (5b), and
76.638 that may be claimed for investments paid to fund managers certified under
sub. (2) at $3,500,000 per calendar year for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2004, and before January 1, 2008, $6,000,000 per calendar year for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2007, and before January 1, 2010, $8,000,000 for calendar year 2010, and $20,500,000 per calendar year for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2010, plus, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010, an additional $250,000 for tax credits that may be claimed for investments in nanotechnology businesses certified under
sub. (1). The rules shall also provide that, for calendar years beginning after December 31, 2007, a person who receives a credit under
ss. 71.07 (5b) and
(5d),
71.28 (5b),
71.47 (5b), or
76.638 must keep the investment in a certified business, or with a certified fund manager, for no less than 3 years, unless the person's investment becomes worthless, as determined by the corporation, during the 3-year period or the person has kept the investment for no less than 12 months and a bona fide liquidity event, as determined by the corporation, occurs during the 3-year period. The rules shall permit the corporation to reallocate credits under this section that are unused in any calendar year to a person eligible for tax benefits, as defined under
s. 238.16 (1) (d), if all of the following apply:
238.15(3)(d)1.
1. The corporation notifies the joint committee on finance in writing of its proposed reallocation.
