BILL REQ. #:  S-3689.2 

Read first time 01/18/10.   Referred to Committee on Economic Development, Trade & Innovation.

     AN ACT Relating to requiring high performance building standards for eligibility for certain tax incentives; amending RCW 82.60.020, 82.60.030, 82.60.040, 82.74.010, 82.75.010, and 82.82.010; reenacting and amending RCW 82.63.010; repealing RCW 82.60.050; and providing expiration dates.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 82.60.020 and 2006 c 142 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.
     (1) "Applicant" means a person applying for a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (2) "Department" means the department of revenue.
     (3) "Eligible area" means a rural county as defined in RCW 82.14.370.
     (4)(a) "Eligible investment project" means an investment project in an eligible area as defined in subsection (3) of this section.
     (b) The lessor or owner of a qualified building is not eligible for a deferral unless:
     (i) The underlying ownership of the buildings, machinery, and equipment vests exclusively in the same person; or
     (ii)(A) The lessor by written contract agrees to pass the economic benefit of the deferral to the lessee;
     (B) The lessee that receives the economic benefit of the deferral agrees in writing with the department to complete the annual survey required under RCW 82.60.070; and
     (C) The economic benefit of the deferral passed to the lessee is no less than the amount of tax deferred by the lessor and is evidenced by written documentation of any type of payment, credit, or other financial arrangement between the lessor or owner of the qualified building and the lessee.
     (c) "Eligible investment project" does not include any portion of an investment project undertaken by a light and power business as defined in RCW 82.16.010(((5))), other than that portion of a cogeneration project that is used to generate power for consumption within the manufacturing site of which the cogeneration project is an integral part, or investment projects which have already received deferrals under this chapter.
     (5) "High performance building standard" means a standard determined by the department of commerce to be equal to at least the gold rating of the United States' green building council's leadership in energy and environmental design 2009 new construction and major renovation rating system.
     (6) "Investment project" means an investment in qualified buildings or qualified machinery and equipment, including labor and services rendered in the planning, installation, and construction of the project.
     (((6))) (7) "Manufacturing" means the same as defined in RCW 82.04.120. "Manufacturing" also includes computer programming, the production of computer software, and other computer-related services, the activities performed by research and development laboratories and commercial testing laboratories, and the conditioning of vegetable seeds.
     (((7))) (8) "Person" has the meaning given in RCW 82.04.030.
     (((8))) (9) "Qualified buildings" means construction of new structures consistent with a high performance building standard, and expansion or renovation, consistent with a high performance building standard, of existing structures for the purpose of increasing floor space or production capacity used for manufacturing and research and development activities, including plant offices and warehouses or other facilities for the storage of raw material or finished goods if such facilities are an essential or an integral part of a factory, mill, plant, or laboratory used for manufacturing or research and development. If a building is used partly for manufacturing or research and development and partly for other purposes, the applicable tax deferral shall be determined by apportionment of the costs of construction under rules adopted by the department.
     (((9))) (10) "Qualified employment position" means a permanent full-time employee employed in the eligible investment project during the entire tax year. The term "entire tax year" means a full-time position that is filled for a period of twelve consecutive months. The term "full-time" means at least thirty-five hours a week, four hundred fifty-five hours a quarter, or one thousand eight hundred twenty hours a year.
     (((10))) (11) "Qualified machinery and equipment" means all new industrial and research fixtures, equipment, and support facilities that are an integral and necessary part of a manufacturing or research and development operation. "Qualified machinery and equipment" includes: Computers; software; data processing equipment; laboratory equipment; manufacturing components such as belts, pulleys, shafts, and moving parts; molds, tools, and dies; operating structures; and all equipment used to control or operate the machinery.
     (((11))) (12) "Recipient" means a person receiving a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (((12))) (13) "Research and development" means the development, refinement, testing, marketing, and commercialization of a product, service, or process before commercial sales have begun. As used in this subsection, "commercial sales" excludes sales of prototypes or sales for market testing if the total gross receipts from such sales of the product, service, or process do not exceed one million dollars.

Sec. 2   RCW 82.60.030 and 1994 sp.s. c 1 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Application for deferral of taxes under this chapter must be made before initiation of the construction of the investment project or acquisition of equipment or machinery. The application ((shall)) must be made to the department in a form and manner prescribed by the department. The application shall contain information regarding the location of the investment project, the applicant's average employment in the state for the prior year, estimated or actual new employment related to the project, estimated or actual wages of employees related to the project, estimated or actual costs, time schedules for completion and operation, and other information required by the department. The department ((shall)) must rule on the application within sixty days.
     (2) This section expires July 1, 2012.

Sec. 3   RCW 82.60.040 and 2004 c 25 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department ((shall)) must issue a sales and use tax deferral certificate for state and local sales and use taxes due under chapters 82.08, 82.12, and 82.14 RCW on each eligible investment project that is located in an eligible area as defined in RCW 82.60.020.
     (2) The department ((shall)) must keep a running total of all deferrals granted under this chapter during each fiscal biennium.
     (3) This section expires July 1, ((2010)) 2012.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   RCW 82.60.050 (Expiration of RCW 82.60.030 and 82.60.040) and 2004 c 25 s 6, 1994 sp.s. c 1 s 7, 1993 sp.s. c 25 s 404, 1988 c 41 s 5, & 1985 c 232 s 10 are each repealed.

Sec. 5   RCW 82.63.010 and 2009 c 268 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.
     (1) "Advanced computing" means technologies used in the designing and developing of computing hardware and software, including innovations in designing the full spectrum of hardware from hand-held calculators to super computers, and peripheral equipment.
     (2) "Advanced materials" means materials with engineered properties created through the development of specialized processing and synthesis technology, including ceramics, high value-added metals, electronic materials, composites, polymers, and biomaterials.
     (3) "Applicant" means a person applying for a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (4) "Biotechnology" means the application of technologies, such as recombinant DNA techniques, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology, genetics and genetic engineering, cell fusion techniques, and new bioprocesses, using living organisms, or parts of organisms, to produce or modify products, to improve plants or animals, to develop microorganisms for specific uses, to identify targets for small molecule pharmaceutical development, or to transform biological systems into useful processes and products or to develop microorganisms for specific uses.
     (5) "Department" means the department of revenue.
     (6) "Electronic device technology" means technologies involving microelectronics; semiconductors; electronic equipment and instrumentation; radio frequency, microwave, and millimeter electronics; optical and optic-electrical devices; and data and digital communications and imaging devices.
     (7) "Eligible investment project" means an investment project which either initiates a new operation, or expands or diversifies a current operation by expanding, renovating, or equipping an existing facility. The lessor or owner of the qualified building is not eligible for a deferral unless:
     (a) The underlying ownership of the buildings, machinery, and equipment vests exclusively in the same person; or
     (b)(i) The lessor by written contract agrees to pass the economic benefit of the deferral to the lessee;
     (ii) The lessee that receives the economic benefit of the deferral agrees in writing with the department to complete the annual survey required under RCW 82.63.020(2); and
     (iii) The economic benefit of the deferral passed to the lessee is no less than the amount of tax deferred by the lessor and is evidenced by written documentation of any type of payment, credit, or other financial arrangement between the lessor or owner of the qualified building and the lessee.
     (8) "Environmental technology" means assessment and prevention of threats or damage to human health or the environment, environmental cleanup, and the development of alternative energy sources.
     (9)(a) "Initiation of construction" means the date that a building permit is issued under the building code adopted under RCW 19.27.031 for:
     (i) Construction of the qualified building, if the underlying ownership of the building vests exclusively with the person receiving the economic benefit of the deferral;
     (ii) Construction of the qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in subsection (7) of this section; or
     (iii) Tenant improvements for a qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in subsection (7) of this section.
     (b) "Initiation of construction" does not include soil testing, site clearing and grading, site preparation, or any other related activities that are initiated before the issuance of a building permit for the construction of the foundation of the building.
     (c) If the investment project is a phased project, "initiation of construction" shall apply separately to each phase.
     (10) "Investment project" means an investment in qualified buildings or qualified machinery and equipment, including labor and services rendered in the planning, installation, and construction or improvement of the project.
     (11) "Multiple qualified buildings" means qualified buildings leased to the same person when such structures: (a) Are located within a five-mile radius; and (b) the initiation of construction of each building begins within a sixty-month period.
     (12) "Person" has the meaning given in RCW 82.04.030 and includes state universities as defined in RCW 28B.10.016.
     (13) "Pilot scale manufacturing" means design, construction, and testing of preproduction prototypes and models in the fields of biotechnology, advanced computing, electronic device technology, advanced materials, and environmental technology other than for commercial sale. As used in this subsection, "commercial sale" excludes sales of prototypes or sales for market testing if the total gross receipts from such sales of the product, service, or process do not exceed one million dollars.
     (14) "Qualified buildings" means construction of new structures consistent with a high performance building standard as defined in RCW 82.60.020, and expansion or renovation, consistent with a high performance building standard as defined in RCW 82.60.020, of existing structures for the purpose of increasing floor space or production capacity used for pilot scale manufacturing or qualified research and development, including plant offices and other facilities that are an essential or an integral part of a structure used for pilot scale manufacturing or qualified research and development. If a building or buildings are used partly for pilot scale manufacturing or qualified research and development, and partly for other purposes, the applicable tax deferral shall be determined by apportionment of the costs of construction under rules adopted by the department. Such rules may include provisions for determining the amount of the deferral based on apportionment of costs of construction of an investment project consisting of a building or multiple buildings, where qualified research and development or pilot scale manufacturing activities are shifted within a building or from one building to another building.
     (15) "Qualified machinery and equipment" means fixtures, equipment, and support facilities that are an integral and necessary part of a pilot scale manufacturing or qualified research and development operation. "Qualified machinery and equipment" includes: Computers; software; data processing equipment; laboratory equipment, instrumentation, and other devices used in a process of experimentation to develop a new or improved pilot model, plant process, product, formula, invention, or similar property; manufacturing components such as belts, pulleys, shafts, and moving parts; molds, tools, and dies; vats, tanks, and fermenters; operating structures; and all other equipment used to control, monitor, or operate the machinery. For purposes of this chapter, qualified machinery and equipment must be either new to the taxing jurisdiction of the state or new to the certificate holder, except that used machinery and equipment may be treated as qualified machinery and equipment if the certificate holder either brings the machinery and equipment into Washington or makes a retail purchase of the machinery and equipment in Washington or elsewhere.
     (16) "Qualified research and development" means research and development performed within this state in the fields of advanced computing, advanced materials, biotechnology, electronic device technology, and environmental technology.
     (17) "Recipient" means a person receiving a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (18) "Research and development" means activities performed to discover technological information, and technical and nonroutine activities concerned with translating technological information into new or improved products, processes, techniques, formulas, inventions, or software. The term includes exploration of a new use for an existing drug, device, or biological product if the new use requires separate licensing by the federal food and drug administration under chapter 21, C.F.R., as amended. The term does not include adaptation or duplication of existing products where the products are not substantially improved by application of the technology, nor does the term include surveys and studies, social science and humanities research, market research or testing, quality control, sale promotion and service, computer software developed for internal use, and research in areas such as improved style, taste, and seasonal design.

Sec. 6   RCW 82.74.010 and 2006 c 354 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.
     (1) "Applicant" means a person applying for a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (2) "Cold storage warehouse" means a storage warehouse owned or operated by a wholesaler or third-party warehouser as those terms are defined in RCW 82.08.820 to store fresh and/or frozen perishable fruits or vegetables, dairy products, seafood products, or any combination thereof, at a desired temperature to maintain the quality of the product for orderly marketing.
     (3) "Dairy product" means dairy products that as of September 20, 2001, are identified in 21 C.F.R., chapter 1, parts 131, 133, and 135, including by-products from the manufacturing of the dairy products such as whey and casein.
     (4) "Dairy product manufacturing" means manufacturing, as defined in RCW 82.04.120, of dairy products.
     (5) "Department" means the department of revenue.
     (6) "Eligible investment project" means an investment in qualified buildings or qualified machinery and equipment, including labor and services rendered in the planning, installation, and construction of the project. The lessor or owner of a qualified building is not eligible for a deferral unless (a) the underlying ownership of the buildings, machinery, and equipment vests exclusively in the same person; or (b)(i) the lessor by written contract agrees to pass the economic benefit of the deferral to the lessee in the form of reduced rent payments, and (ii) the lessee that receives the economic benefit of the deferral agrees in writing with the department to complete the annual survey under RCW 82.74.040. The economic benefit of the deferral to the lessee may be evidenced by any type of payment, credit, or any other financial arrangement between the lessor or owner of the qualified building and the lessee.
     (7) "Fresh fruit and vegetable processing" means manufacturing as defined in RCW 82.04.120 which consists of the canning, preserving, freezing, processing, or dehydrating fresh fruits and/or vegetables.
     (8)(a) "Initiation of construction" means the date that a building permit is issued under the building code adopted under RCW 19.27.031 for:
     (i) Construction of the qualified building, if the underlying ownership of the building vests exclusively with the person receiving the economic benefit of the deferral;
     (ii) Construction of the qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in subsection (6) of this section; or
     (iii) Tenant improvements for a qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in subsection (6) of this section.
     (b) "Initiation of construction" does not include soil testing, site clearing and grading, site preparation, or any other related activities that are initiated before the issuance of a building permit for the construction of the foundation of the building.
     (c) If the investment project is a phased project, "initiation of construction" applies separately to each phase.
     (9) "Person" has the meaning given in RCW 82.04.030.
     (10) "Qualified buildings" means construction of new structures consistent with a high performance building standard as defined in RCW 82.60.020, and expansion or renovation, consistent with a high performance building standard as defined in RCW 82.60.020, of existing structures for the purpose of increasing floor space or production capacity used for fresh fruit and vegetable processing, dairy product manufacturing, seafood product manufacturing, cold storage warehousing, and research and development activities, including plant offices and warehouses or other facilities for the storage of raw material or finished goods if such facilities are an essential or an integral part of a factory, plant, or laboratory used for fresh fruit and vegetable processing, dairy product manufacturing, seafood product manufacturing, cold storage warehousing, or research and development. If a building is used partly for fresh fruit and vegetable processing, dairy product manufacturing, seafood product manufacturing, cold storage warehousing, or research and development and partly for other purposes, the applicable tax deferral shall be determined by apportionment of the costs of construction under rules adopted by the department.
     (11) "Qualified machinery and equipment" means all industrial and research fixtures, equipment, and support facilities that are an integral and necessary part of a fresh fruit and vegetable processing, dairy product manufacturing, seafood product manufacturing, cold storage ((warehouse)) warehousing, or research and development operation. "Qualified machinery and equipment" includes: Computers; software; data processing equipment; laboratory equipment; manufacturing components such as belts, pulleys, shafts, and moving parts; molds, tools, and dies; operating structures; and all equipment used to control or operate the machinery.
     (12) "Recipient" means a person receiving a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (13) "Research and development" means the development, refinement, testing, marketing, and commercialization of a product, service, or process related to fresh fruit and vegetable processing, dairy product manufacturing, seafood product manufacturing, or cold storage warehousing before commercial sales have begun. As used in this subsection, "commercial sales" excludes sales of prototypes or sales for market testing if the total gross receipts from such sales of the product, service, or process do not exceed one million dollars.
     (14) "Seafood product" means any edible marine fish and shellfish that remains in a raw, raw frozen, or raw salted state.
     (15) "Seafood product manufacturing" means the manufacturing, as defined in RCW 82.04.120, of seafood products.

Sec. 7   RCW 82.75.010 and 2009 c 549 s 1033 are each amended to read as follows:
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.
     (1) "Applicant" means a person applying for a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (2) "Biotechnology" means a technology based on the science of biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, biochemistry, or biophysics, or any combination of these, and includes, but is not limited to, recombinant DNA techniques, genetics and genetic engineering, cell fusion techniques, and new bioprocesses, using living organisms, or parts of organisms.
     (3) "Biotechnology product" means any virus, therapeutic serum, antibody, protein, toxin, antitoxin, vaccine, blood, blood component or derivative, allergenic product, or analogous product produced through the application of biotechnology that is used in the prevention, treatment, or cure of diseases or injuries to humans.
     (4) "Department" means the department of revenue.
     (5)(a) "Eligible investment project" means an investment in qualified buildings or qualified machinery and equipment, including labor and services rendered in the planning, installation, and construction of the project.
     (b) The lessor or owner of a qualified building is not eligible for a deferral unless:
     (i) The underlying ownership of the buildings, machinery, and equipment vests exclusively in the same person; or
     (ii)(A) The lessor by written contract agrees to pass the economic benefit of the deferral to the lessee;
     (B) The lessee that receives the economic benefit of the deferral agrees in writing with the department to complete the annual survey required under RCW 82.32.645; and
     (C) The economic benefit of the deferral passed to the lessee is no less than the amount of tax deferred by the lessor and is evidenced by written documentation of any type of payment, credit, or other financial arrangement between the lessor or owner of the qualified building and the lessee.
     (6)(a) "Initiation of construction" means the date that a building permit is issued under the building code adopted under RCW 19.27.031 for:
     (i) Construction of the qualified building, if the underlying ownership of the building vests exclusively with the person receiving the economic benefit of the deferral;
     (ii) Construction of the qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in subsection (5)(b)(ii)(A) of this section; or
     (iii) Tenant improvements for a qualified building, if the economic benefits of the deferral are passed to a lessee as provided in subsection (5)(b)(ii)(A) of this section.
     (b) "Initiation of construction" does not include soil testing, site clearing and grading, site preparation, or any other related activities that are initiated before the issuance of a building permit for the construction of the foundation of the building.
     (c) If the investment project is a phased project, "initiation of construction" shall apply separately to each phase.
     (7) "Manufacturing" has the meaning provided in RCW 82.04.120.
     (8) "Medical device" means an instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or other similar or related article, including any component, part, or accessory, that is designed or developed and:
     (a) Recognized in the national formulary, or the United States pharmacopeia, or any supplement to them;
     (b) Intended for use in the diagnosis of disease, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or other conditions in human beings or other animals; or
     (c) Intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of human beings or other animals, and which does not achieve any of its primary intended purposes through chemical action within or on the body of human beings or other animals and which is not dependent upon being metabolized for the achievement of any of its principal intended purposes.
     (9) "Person" has the meaning provided in RCW 82.04.030.
     (10) "Qualified buildings" means construction of new structures consistent with a high performance building standard as defined in RCW 82.60.020, and expansion or renovation, consistent with a high performance building standard as defined in RCW 82.60.020, of existing structures for the purpose of increasing floor space or production capacity used for biotechnology product manufacturing or medical device manufacturing activities, including plant offices, commercial laboratories for process development, quality assurance and quality control, and warehouses or other facilities for the storage of raw material or finished goods if the facilities are an essential or an integral part of a factory, plant, or laboratory used for biotechnology product manufacturing or medical device manufacturing. If a building is used partly for biotechnology product manufacturing or medical device manufacturing and partly for other purposes, the applicable tax deferral shall be determined by apportionment of the costs of construction under rules adopted by the department.
     (11) "Qualified machinery and equipment" means all new industrial and research fixtures, equipment, and support facilities that are an integral and necessary part of a biotechnology product manufacturing or medical device manufacturing operation. "Qualified machinery and equipment" includes: Computers; software; data processing equipment; laboratory equipment; manufacturing components such as belts, pulleys, shafts, and moving parts; molds, tools, and dies; operating structures; and all equipment used to control or operate the machinery.
     (12) "Recipient" means a person receiving a tax deferral under this chapter.

Sec. 8   RCW 82.82.010 and 2008 c 15 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (1) "Applicant" means a person applying for a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (2) "Corporate headquarters" means a facility or facilities where corporate staff employees are physically employed, and where the majority of the company's management services are handled either on a regional or a national basis. Company management services may include: Accounts receivable and payable, accounting, data processing, distribution management, employee benefit plan, financial and securities accounting, information technology, insurance, legal, merchandising, payroll, personnel, purchasing procurement, planning, reporting and compliance, research and development, tax, treasury, or other headquarters-related services. "Corporate headquarters" does not include a facility or facilities used for manufacturing, wholesaling, or warehousing.
     (3) "Department" means the department of revenue.
     (4) "Eligible area" means a designated community empowerment zone approved under RCW 43.31C.020.
     (5)(a) "Eligible investment project" means an investment project in a qualified building or buildings in an eligible area, as defined in subsection (4) of this section, which will have employment at the qualified building or buildings of at least three hundred employees in qualified employment positions, each of whom must earn for the year reported at least the average annual wage for the state for that year as determined by the employment security department.
     (b) The lessor or owner of a qualified building or buildings is not eligible for a deferral unless:
     (i) The underlying ownership of the building or buildings vests exclusively in the same person; or
     (ii)(A) The lessor by written contract agrees to pass the economic benefit of the deferral to the lessee;
     (B) The lessee that receives the economic benefit of the deferral agrees in writing with the department to complete the annual survey required under RCW 82.82.020; and
     (C) The economic benefit of the deferral passed to the lessee is no less than the amount of tax deferred by the lessor and is evidenced by written documentation of any type of payment, credit, or other financial arrangement between the lessor or owner of the qualified building and the lessee.
     (6) "Investment project" means a capital investment of at least thirty million dollars in a qualified building or buildings including tangible personal property and fixtures that will be incorporated as an ingredient or component of such buildings during the course of their construction, and including labor and services rendered in the planning, installation, and construction of the project.
     (7) "Manufacture" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 82.04.120.
     (8) "Operationally complete" means a date no later than one year from the date the project is issued an occupancy permit by the local permit issuing authority.
     (9) "Person" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 82.04.030.
     (10) "Qualified building or buildings" means construction of a new structure or structures consistent with a high performance building standard as defined in RCW 82.60.020, or expansion of an existing structure or structures, consistent with a high performance building standard as defined in RCW 82.60.020, to be used for corporate headquarters. If a building is used partly for corporate headquarters and partly for other purposes, the applicable tax deferral is determined by apportionment of the costs of construction under rules adopted by the department.
     (11) "Qualified employment position" means a permanent full-time employee employed in the eligible investment project during the entire tax year. The term "entire tax year" means a full-time position that is filled for a period of twelve consecutive months. The term "full-time" means at least thirty-five hours a week, four hundred fifty-five hours a quarter, or one thousand eight hundred twenty hours a year.
     (12) "Recipient" means a person receiving a tax deferral under this chapter.
     (13) "Warehouse" means a building or structure, or any part thereof, in which goods, wares, or merchandise are received for storage for compensation.
     (14) "Wholesale sale" has the same meaning as provided in RCW 82.04.060.