Page 654
House Bill No. 5506
Public Act No. 22-118 654 of 739
"plant" means any manufacturing business or economic base business, as defined in section 32-222; and (iii) "closure" means any reduction or transfer in military personnel or civilian employment at one or more bases or plants in a municipality, which occurred between July 1, 1989, and July 1, 1993, or is scheduled to occur between July 1, 1993, and July 1, 1996, and exceeds two thousand persons. Such employment figures shall be certified by the Labor Department. (B) On or after October 1, 1993, the commissioner shall approve the designation of three other areas as enterprise zones, one of which shall be in a municipality with a population greater than eighty thousand and two of which shall be in municipalities with a population of less than eighty thousand. The census tracts in such areas shall meet the eligibility criteria set forth under subsection (a) of this section for enterprise zone designation. The commissioner shall approve the designation of enterprise zones under this subparagraph for those municipalities which he or she determines to have experienced the largest increases in poverty from October 1, 1989, to October 1, 1993, inclusive, based on a weighted average of the unemployment rate, caseload under the temporary family assistance program and per capita income of less than ninety per cent of the state average between 1985 and 1989. In making his determination, the commissioner may also consider the vacancy rates for commercial and industrial facilities in a municipality and a municipality's program for the implementation of an effective enterprise zone program. To the extent appropriate, the commissioner shall use the Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI) system in making the calculations for such determination. (C) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, municipalities that were not distressed municipalities under the provisions of subsection (b) of section 32-9p on February 1, 1986, shall be eligible to designate areas as enterprise zones under subparagraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision.