(a)Subject to appropriation, there is hereby established an Entrepreneur Learner's Permit pilot program that shall be administered by the Department beginning on July 1 of the first fiscal year for which an appropriation of State moneys is made for that purpose and continuing for the next 2 immediately succeeding fiscal years; however, the Department is not required to administer the program in any fiscal year for which such an appropriation has not been made. The purpose of the program shall be to encourage and assist beginning entrepreneurs in starting new businesses by providing reimbursements to those entrepreneurs for any State filing, permitting, or licensing fees associated with the formation of such a business in the State.
(b)Applicants for participation in the Entrepreneur Lear
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(a) Subject to appropriation, there is hereby established an Entrepreneur Learner's Permit pilot program that shall be administered by the Department beginning on July 1 of the first fiscal year for which an appropriation of State moneys is made for that purpose and continuing for the next 2 immediately succeeding fiscal years; however, the Department is not required to administer the program in any fiscal year for which such an appropriation has not been made. The purpose of the program shall be to encourage and assist beginning entrepreneurs in starting new businesses by providing reimbursements to those entrepreneurs for any State filing, permitting, or licensing fees associated with the formation of such a business in the State. (b) Applicants for participation in the Entrepreneur Learner's Permit pilot program shall apply to the Department, in a form and manner prescribed by the Department, within one year after the formation of the business for which the entrepreneur seeks reimbursement of those fees. The Department shall adopt rules for the review and approval of applications, provided that it (1) shall give priority to applicants who are women or minority persons, or both, and (2) shall not approve any application by a person who will not be a beginning entrepreneur. Reimbursements under this Section shall be provided in the manner determined by the Department. In no event shall an applicant apply for participation in the program more than 3 times. (c) The aggregate amount of all reimbursements provided by the Department pursuant to this Section shall not exceed $500,000 in any State fiscal year. (d) On or before February 1 of the last calendar year during which the pilot program is in effect, the Department shall submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly on the cumulative effectiveness of the Entrepreneur Learner's Permit pilot program. The review shall include, but not be limited to, the number and type of businesses that were formed in connection with the pilot program, the current status of each business formed in connection with the pilot program, the number of employees employed by each such business, the economic impact to the State from the pilot program, the satisfaction of participants in the pilot program, and a recommendation as to whether the program should be continued. The report to the General Assembly shall be filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate in electronic form only, in the manner that the Clerk and the Secretary shall direct. (e) As used in this Section: "Beginning entrepreneur" means an individual who, at the time he or she applies for participation in the program, has less than 5 years of experience as a business owner and is not a current business owner. "Woman" and "minority person" have the meanings given to those terms in the Business Enterprise for Minorities, Women, and Persons with Disabilities Act.