An Act concerning eligible municipalities under the "Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Act" and amending P.L.2007, c.346.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 2 of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-208) is amended to read as follows:

2. As used in this act:

"Affiliate" means an entity that directly or indirectly controls, is under common control with, or is controlled by the business. Control exists in all cases in which the entity is a member of a controlled group of corporations as defined pursuant to section 1563 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C.s.1563) or the entity is an organization in a group of organizations under common control as defined pursuant to subsection (b) or (c) of section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C.s.414). A taxpayer may establish by clear and convincing evidence, as determined by the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, that control exists in situations involving lesser percentages of ownership than required by those statutes. An affiliate of a business may contribute to meeting either the qualified investment or full-time employee requirements of a business that applies for a credit under section 3 of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-209).

"Authority" means the New Jersey Economic Development Authority established by section 4 of P.L.1974, c.80 (C.34:1B-4).

"Business" means a corporation that is subject to the tax imposed pursuant to section 5 of P.L.1945, c.162 (C.54:10A-5), a corporation that is subject to the tax imposed pursuant to sections 2 and 3 of P.L.1945, c.132 (C.54:18A-2 and 54:18A-3), section 1 of P.L.1950, c.231 (C.17:32-15) or N.J.S.17B:23-5, or is a partnership, an S corporation, or a limited liability corporation. A business shall include an affiliate of the business if that business applies for a credit based upon any capital investment made by or full-time employees of an affiliate.

"Capital investment" in a qualified business facility means expenses incurred after, but before the end of the eighth year after, the effective date of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-207 et seq.) for: a. the site preparation and construction, repair, renovation, improvement, equipping, or furnishing of a building, structure, facility or improvement to real property; and b. obtaining and installing furnishings and machinery, apparatus or equipment for the operation of a business in a building, structure, facility or improvement to real property.

"Eligible municipality" means a municipality which has a population density of more than 10,000 persons per square mile according to the most recent federal decennial census, is adjacent to another eligible municipality (including municipalities connected by a bridge over a body of water), and in which is located a sports arena with a covered seating capacity of 25,000 or more persons and one or more passenger rail stations; or a municipality: (1) which qualifies for State aid pursuant to P.L.1978, c.14 (C.52:27D-178 et seq.) or which was continued to be a qualified municipality thereunder pursuant to P.L.2007, c.111; and (2) in which 30 percent or more of the value of real property was exempt from local property taxation during tax year 2006. The percentage of exempt property shall be calculated by dividing the total exempt value by the sum of the net valuation which is taxable and that which is tax exempt.

"Full-time employee" means a person employed by the business for consideration for at least 35 hours a week, or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by custom or practice as full-time employment, or a person who is employed by a professional employer organization pursuant to an employee leasing agreement between the business and the professional employer organization, in accordance with P.L.2001, c.260 (C.34:8-67 et seq.) for at least 35 hours a week, or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by custom or practice as full-time employment, and whose wages are subject to withholding as provided in the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act," N.J.S.54A:1-1 et seq. or an employee who is a resident of another State but whose income is not subject to the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act," N.J.S.54A:1-1 et seq. or who is a partner of a business who works for the partnership for at least 35 hours a week, or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by custom or practice as full-time employment, and whose distributive share of income, gain, loss, or deduction, or whose guaranteed payments, or any combination thereof, is subject to the payment of estimated taxes, as provided in the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act," N.J.S.54A:1-1 et seq. "Full-time employee" shall not include any person who works as an independent contractor or on a consulting basis for the business.

"Mixed use project" means a project comprising both a qualified business facility and a qualified residential project.

"Partnership" means an entity classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes.

"Professional employer organization" means an employee leasing company registered with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development pursuant to P.L.2001, c.260 (C.34:8-67 et seq.).

"Qualified business facility" means any building, complex of buildings or structural components of buildings, and all machinery and equipment located within a designated urban transit hub in an eligible municipality, used in connection with the operation of a business.

"Qualified residential project" shall have the meaning ascribed to that term under section 34 of P.L.2009, c.90 (C.34:1B-209.2).

"Residential unit" means a residential dwelling unit such as a rental apartment, a condominium or cooperative unit, a hotel room, or a dormitory room.

"Urban transit hub" means:

a. property located within a 1/2 mile radius surrounding the mid point of a New Jersey Transit Corporation, Port Authority Transit Corporation or Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation rail station platform area, including all light rail stations, and property located within a one mile radius of the mid point of the platform area of such a rail station if the property is in a qualified municipality under the "Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act," P.L.2002, c.43 (C.52:27BBB-1 et seq.);

b. property located within a 1/2 mile radius surrounding the mid point of one of up to two underground light rail stations' platform areas that are most proximate to an interstate rail station;

c. property adjacent to, or connected by rail spur to, a freight rail line if the business utilizes that freight line at any rail spur located adjacent to or within a one mile radius surrounding the entrance to the property for loading and unloading freight cars on trains;

which property shall have been specifically delineated by the authority pursuant to subsection e. of section 3 of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-209).

A property which is partially included within the radius shall only be considered part of the urban transit hub if over 50 percent of its land area falls within the radius.

"Rail station" shall not include any rail station located at an international airport.

(cf: P.L.2011, c.89, s.1)

2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

The purpose of this bill is to expand the "Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Act" program to densely populated municipalities containing a major sports arena and connected, by rail, to a nearby existing urban transit hub. The density requirement is intended to ensure that a lot of people are located within a new urban transit hub area and so will be in position to benefit from the tax credit program, either as potential workers or consumers. The proximity requirement to another urban transit hub is intended to permit easy expansion "up the line" for businesses already taking advantage of the tax credit in a nearby urban transit hub while ensuring that the municipality currently without an urban transit hub becomes attractive to new businesses and business expansion. The sports arena requirement is intended to ensure that the new urban transit hub will be a popular destination in the evenings and weekends as well as during commuter times. Pursuant to this bill, Harrison Town in Hudson County would be included in the definition of an "eligible municipality" under the "Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Act."