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An Act To Create Jobs in Aroostook and Washington Counties
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  30-A MRSA §5250-R, sub-§1-A  is enacted to read:
 
1-A.  Call center.     "Call center" means a business enterprise that employs for the purpose of customer service:
 
A.  Fifty or more employees, excluding part-time employees; or
 
B.  Fifty or more employees who in the aggregate work at least 1,500 hours per week, excluding overtime hours.
Sec. 2.  30-A MRSA §5250-R, sub-§3-A  is enacted to read:
 
3-A.  Part-time employee.     "Part-time employee" means an employee who works an average of less than 20 hours per week.
Sec. 3.  30-A MRSA §5250-U  is enacted to read:
§ 5250-U. Exceptions for call centers
 
1.  Call center.     The commissioner may certify a call center located in Aroostook County or Washington County as a qualified Pine Tree Development Zone business under section 5250-O if the call center satisfies all of the Pine Tree Development Zone program requirements of this chapter, except that the call center does not need to satisfy the employee income requirements of section 5250-I, subsection 18.
 
2.  Application for tax benefits.     A call center may apply to the commissioner for certification to receive Pine Tree Development Zone benefits pursuant to subsection 1. Upon review and determination by the commissioner that the call center satisfies the criteria under subsection 1, the commissioner shall issue a certificate of qualification for Pine Tree Development Zone benefits.
 
SUMMARY
This bill provides an exception to the Pine Tree Development Zone program employee income requirements for call centers located in Aroostook and Washington counties.