§ 4-3-717 — Grants and loans

(a) FastTrack infrastructure development, training, and economic development grants from the FastTrack fund shall be made only where there is a commitment by a responsible official in an eligible business for the creation or retention of private sector jobs and private investment, or where the commissioner of economic and community development determines that such investment will have a direct impact on employment and investment opportunities in the future. (b) (1) FastTrack industrial infrastructure and industrial site preparation grants or loans to assist eligible businesses may be made only to local governments or to their economic development organizations or other political subdivisions of the state. (2) Infrastructure grants may not be applied to private land or to land that is expected to become privately owned. (3) Land owned by a political subdivision of the state shall not be considered private land and any such land that is subject to a purchase option by a private entity shall not be considered to be land that is expected to become privately owned so long as the purchase option covering the land may not be exercised for a period of at least five (5) years following the date of an infrastructure grant pursuant to this section. (c) FastTrack industrial training grants from the FastTrack fund shall be awarded only to eligible businesses for industrial training under the following conditions: (1) To support the training of new employees for locating or expanding industries; and (2) To support the retraining of existing employees where retraining is required by the installation of new machinery or production processes. (d) (1) FastTrack economic development grants or loans to assist eligible businesses may be made only to local governments or to their economic development organizations or other political subdivisions of the state. FastTrack economic development grants or loans may be used to facilitate economic development activities that are not eligible for FastTrack infrastructure development or job training assistance funds. These activities include, but are not limited to, grants or loans for retrofitting, relocating equipment, purchasing equipment, building repairs and improvements, temporary office space or other temporary equipment related to relocation or expansion. It is the intent of the general assembly that these economic development funds be used in exceptional circumstances when the funds will make a proportionally significant economic impact on the affected community. (2) The department of economic and community development shall notify and provide to the state funding board a detailed written explanation of the purpose for which a FastTrack economic development grant or loan is being awarded or used when FastTrack economic development grants or loans are awarded or used for activities that are not eligible for FastTrack infrastructure development or job training assistance funds. (3) The state funding board shall maintain as confidential any records or information obtained in accordance with subdivision (d)(2) that is otherwise confidential pursuant to state law. (e) The total amount of FastTrack grants or loans made pursuant to these programs shall not exceed seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000) per eligible business within any three-year period beginning July 1, 2005, unless approved by the state funding board. The state funding board is authorized to establish, by policy or action, the process by which the commissioner of economic and community development shall seek and receive approval for such grants and loans to exceed the dollar limitation. (f) In determining the level of grant assistance for infrastructure and site preparation consideration shall be given to local ability-to-pay with areas of lesser ability being eligible for higher grant rates. (g) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the department shall post the following information on its website at least quarterly: (1) The name of the company or entity receiving FastTrack funds; (2) The amount of the FastTrack funds received; (3) The number of jobs to be created by a project funded by FastTrack funds; and (4) The location of a project funded by FastTrack funds. (h) As used in §§ 4-3-715 , 4-3-716 and this section, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) "Eligible business" means: (A) Manufacturing and other types of economic activities which export more than half of their products or services outside of Tennessee; (B) Businesses where more than half of the business' products or services enter into the production of exported products; (C) Businesses where the uses of the business' products primarily result in import substitution on the replacement of imported products or services with those produced in the state; or (D) Other types of economic activity, including, but not limited to, research funding, technology projects and other projects that contribute significantly to community development education as determined by the commissioner of economic and community development to have a beneficial impact on the economy of the state; and (2) "Industrial infrastructure" includes, but is not limited to, water, wastewater, or transportation systems, line extensions or industrial site preparation where it is demonstrated that such infrastructure improvements are necessary for the location or expansion of business or industry. Industrial infrastructure also means significant technological improvements, including, but not limited to, digital switches, fiber optic cabling or other technological improvements determined by the commissioner of economic and community development to have a beneficial impact on the economy of this state.

Legislative History

Amended by 2013 Tenn. Acts, ch. 71, s 1, eff. 4/2/2013. Acts 2005, ch. 233, § 4; 2012, ch. 1038, §§ 6 - 8.