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Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §13056-G, sub-§3, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 362, §1, is amended to read:
 
B. The department shall solicit applications for grants or loans from the fund through a request for proposalscompetitive application process, which must include, at a minimum, the following criteria for the submission of applications:
 
(1) A description of the parties involved in the project, including the professional expertise and qualifications of the principals;
 
(2) A description of the scope of work that will be undertaken by each party involved in the project;
 
(3) The proposed budget, including verification of funding from other sources;
 
(4) A statement of the project objective, including specific information on how the project will promote the use of the space as a collaborative workspace;
 
(5) A statement that sets forth the implementation plan, the facilities and resources available or needed for the project and the proposed commencement and termination dates of the project;
 
(6) A description of the expected significance of the project, including a description of the market demand for the type of collaborative workspace proposed in the region in which the space will be located and the number of tenants and participants that will be served as a result of the project;
 
(7) Guidelines for the review and approval of applications that include preferences for applications that propose to redevelop existing properties located in the downtown area of a municipality, dedicate at least 25% of accessible space to collaborative use and support a cluster of at least 5 separate tenants;
 
(8) A description of the ability of the collaborative workspace business to carry out the provisions of this section;
 
(9) A summary of the proposed economic impact of the collaborative workspace on the community;
 
(10) A description of plans for conformance with regional and local economic development plans, if such plans exist; and
 
(11) A statement of the proximity of the collaborative workspace to an accredited Maine community college, college or university, as defined in Title 20-A, section 12541, subsection 1.
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §13056-G, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 362, §1, is amended to read:
 
5. Report.   Beginning February 1, 20162020, the department shall annually provide a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representativesand the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over innovation, development, economic advancement and business matters that must include, but is not limited to:
 
A. The number of applications for collaborative workspace submitted to the department;
 
B. The number of applications for collaborative workspace approved by the department;
 
C. The number of collaborative workspaces created through the fund;
 
D. The numbers of tenants and participants engaged in each collaborative workspace;
 
E. The number of jobs provided by each collaborative workspace;
 
F. The occupancy rate of each collaborative workspace; and
 
G. The number of tenants that have left collaborative workspace and that are operating in the State and the number of jobs they have provided.
Sec. 3. Development of collaborative workspaces. The Department of Economic and Community Development shall provide funds from the Maine Coworking Development Fund, as established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 13056-G, to entities that maintain collaborative workspace businesses to allow those entities to expand those collaborative workspace businesses and to entities to develop new collaborative workspaces. In providing funds pursuant to this section, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the department shall prioritize development of new collaborative workspaces and shall give preference to applicants with collaborative workspace businesses located in municipalities and counties in which the unemployment rate exceeds the State's unemployment rate. The department shall engage in at least 2 rounds of competitive applications to expend the funds. Funds appropriated to the Maine Coworking Development Fund in fiscal year 2019-20 do not lapse and must be carried over into fiscal year 2020-21 and used for the purposes described in this section.
Sec. 4. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
 
ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF
 
Maine Coworking Development Fund Z195
 
Initiative: Provides one-time funds for the development of collaborative workspace businesses, with preference given to applicants with projects in towns and counties in which the unemployment rate exceeds the State's unemployment rate.

GENERAL FUND	2019-20	2020-21	
All Other	$300,000	$0	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$300,000	$0	
 
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Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
 
SUMMARY
This amendment requires the Department of Economic and Community Development, when determining grants from the Maine Coworking Development Fund, to solicit applications through a competitive bid process, instead of a request for proposal process. The amendment allows for funds to be provided to entities to establish new collaborative workspaces and directs the department to prioritize development of new workspaces in the competitive application process. The amendment replaces the requirement for an annual report by the department to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives with a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over innovation, development, economic advancement and business matters. The amendment directs the department to engage in at least 2 rounds of competitive applications and also directs that the 2019-20 appropriation be carried over into 2020-21.