Budget & Taxes (Economic Development)

This bill amends Kentucky law to make a technical correction to the definition and administration of the state's Economic Development Fund. It clarifies how the fund is funded through bonds or appropriations and outlines specific criteria for selecting projects, including job creation potential, public involvement, and investment amounts. The bill requires applicants to submit detailed commitments about job projections and investment breakdowns before receiving funding, and it establishes a process for reviewing projects through state committees. Additionally, it ensures that funds do not lapse at the end of each budget cycle and mandates annual public reporting on fund usage and repayment status.

Create a new section of Subchapter 20 of KRS Chapter 154 to establish the rural building and job creation revolving fund; specify uses of the fund to assist with compliance risk mitigation for the New Markets Tax Credits Program, or to issue low-interest loans to assist with construction of new buildings or renovations of existing buildings for lease to target wage economic development projects; require the Cabinet for Economic Development to report on the fund; create a new section of Subchapter 12 of KRS Chapter 154 to require the cabinet to work with the workforce liaison appointed by the president of the Kentucky Career and Technical College System to promote jobs created in the Commonwealth as a result of incentive programs; require the cabinet to conduct a feasibility and impact study on interstate reciprocity between state economic development programming; amend the general fund appropriation authorized in 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 199, Part I, B, 1.,(12) to not lapse and carry forward; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 65 to provide incremental revenue tax incentives to the Rural Kentucky Revitalization Opportunity Partnership; define terms; state findings; establish the Rural Kentucky Revitalization Opportunity Partnership Board; establish incentive program; create an income tax credit for certain residents; amend KRS 141.0205 to order the credit; amend KRS 131.190 to allow reporting by the Department of Revenue.

Create a new section of Subchapter 32 of KRS Chapter 154 to establish a tiered county system for eligible companies to receive incentives under the Kentucky Business Investment Program; amends KRS 154.32-010 to define "tier"; amends KRS 154.32-020 and 154.32-040 to conform; amend KRS 154.32-050 to specify tiering procedures; amend KRS 154.32-060 to require the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority to identify and certify or decertify the tiers for all counties on an annual basis into 4 tax credit tiers; provide that the incentives available under this subchapter be determined based on the county where the economic development project is located by an approved company; provide a county's tier will be based on a 5 year average of its unemployment rate and population ranking; amend KRS 154.32-090, 154.61-010, 154.61-020, and 141.383 to conform.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 154.12 to establish the Kentucky Talent Recruitment Grant Program under the Cabinet for Economic Development; define terms; establish the duties of the cabinet in implementation of the program subject to approval of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority; establish eligible grant applicants' duties and program reporting requirements; establish the Kentucky Talent Recruitment Grant Program fund; APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY.