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• Introduced by Rep. John Stakoe (R) on December 3, 2003, to exempt for five years a "qualified start-up business" from the "neighborhood enterprise zone specific tax" which is levied in lieu of property tax on firms located in a "neighborhood enterprise zone." A "qualified start-up business" is defined as a firm that has fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees, has annual sales of less than $1 million, has research and development expenses that make up at least 15-percent of its annual expenses, and is not publicly traded. This does not necessarily apply only to new firms, and the five year exemption is not necessarily the firm's first five years of operation.
  • Referred to the House Tax Policy Committee on December 3, 2003.
  • Reported in the House on April 21, 2004, with the recommendation that the substitute (H-2) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
  • Substitute offered in the House on April 27, 2004, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that makes the tax break contingent on approval by the local government, and incorporates certain additional restrictions and requirements designed to more narrowly target the tax breaks at certain kinds of businesses, and make it harder for non-targeted firms to make themselves eligible by changing their business structure. The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on April 27, 2004.
  • Amendment offered by Rep. Lorence Wenke (R) on April 27, 2004, to tie-bar the bill to House Bill 5331, meaning this bill cannot become law unless that one does also. The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on April 27, 2004.
• Passed 85 to 14 in the House on April 27, 2004.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
• Received in the Senate on April 28, 2004.
  • Referred to the Senate Economic Development, Small Business and Regulatory Reform Committee on April 28, 2004.
  • Reported in the Senate on May 11, 2004, with the recommendation that the bill pass.
• Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on May 13, 2004, to exempt for five years a "qualified start-up business" from the "neighborhood enterprise zone specific tax" which is levied in lieu of property tax on firms located in a "neighborhood enterprise zone." A "qualified start-up business" is defined as a firm that has fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees, has annual sales of less than $1 million, has research and development expenses that make up at least 15-percent of its annual expenses, and is not publicly traded. This does not necessarily apply only to new firms, and the five year exemption is not necessarily the firm's first five years of operation.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
• Received in the House on May 13, 2004.
• Vetoed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on May 28, 2004.