Agreement; requirements; contents; confidentiality; exceptions; duration of agreement; incentives; use

(a) The qualified location or locations. If a location or locations are to be qualified under subsection (2) of section 77-6818 , the agreement must include a commitment by the taxpayer that the seventy-five percent requirement of such subsection will be met;

(b) The type of documentation the taxpayer will need to supply to support its claim for incentives under the act;

(c) The date the application was complete;

(e) A requirement that the taxpayer provide any information needed by the director or the Tax Commissioner to perform their respective responsibilities under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act, in the manner specified by the director or Tax Commissioner;

(f) A requirement that the taxpayer provide an annually updated timetable showing the expected sales and use tax refunds and what year they are expected to be claimed, in the manner specified by the Tax Commissioner. The timetable shall include both direct refunds due to investment and credits taken as sales and use tax refunds as accurately as reasonably possible;

(g) A requirement that the taxpayer update the Tax Commissioner annually, with its income tax return or in the manner specified by the Tax Commissioner, on any changes in plans or circumstances which it reasonably expects will affect the level of new investment and number of new employees at the qualified location or locations. If the taxpayer fails to comply with this requirement, the Tax Commissioner may defer any pending incentive utilization until the taxpayer does comply;

(h) A requirement that the taxpayer provide information regarding the value of health coverage provided to employees during the year who are not base-year employees and who are paid the required compensation as needed by the director or the Tax Commissioner to perform their respective responsibilities under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act, in the manner specified by the director or Tax Commissioner;

(i) A requirement that the taxpayer not violate any state or federal law against discrimination;

(j) A requirement that the taxpayer offer a sufficient package of benefits to the employees employed full-time at the qualified location or locations during the year who are not base-year employees and who are paid the required compensation. If a taxpayer does not offer a sufficient package of benefits to any such employee for any year during the performance period, that employee shall not count toward the number of new employees for such year. For purposes of this subdivision, benefits means nonwage remuneration offered to an employee, including medical and dental insurance plans, pension, retirement, and profit-sharing plans, child care services, life insurance coverage, vision insurance coverage, disability insurance coverage, and any other nonwage remuneration as determined by the director. The director may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to specify what constitutes a sufficient package of benefits. In determining what constitutes a sufficient package of benefits, the director shall consider (i) benefit packages customarily offered in Nebraska by private employers to full-time employees, (ii) the impact of the cost of such benefits on the ability to attract new employment and investment under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act, and (iii) the costs that employees must bear to obtain benefits not offered by an employer; and

(k) A requirement that the taxpayer provide the following information for the purpose of tax incentive performance audits:

(i) The most recent taxable valuations and levy rates for all qualified locations;

(ii) If credits are used for job training pursuant to subdivision (1)(e) of section 77-6832 , a program schedule of the job training activities; and

(iii) If credits are used for talent recruitment pursuant to subdivision (1)(e) of section 77-6832 , the city and state where recruited employees lived when the talent recruitment activities took place.

(2) The application, the agreement, all supporting information, and all other information reported to the director or the Tax Commissioner shall be kept confidential by the director and the Tax Commissioner, except for the name of the taxpayer, the qualified location or locations in the agreement, the estimated amounts of increased employment and investment stated in the application, the date of complete application, the date the agreement was signed, and the information required to be reported by section 77-6837 . The application, the agreement, and all supporting information shall be provided by the director to the Department of Revenue. The director shall disclose, to any municipalities in which project locations exist, the approval of an application and the execution of an agreement under this section. The Tax Commissioner shall also notify each municipality of the amount and taxpayer identity for each refund of local option sales and use taxes of the municipality within thirty days after the refund is allowed or approved. Disclosures shall be kept confidential by the municipality unless publicly disclosed previously by the taxpayer or by the State of Nebraska.

(3) An agreement under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act shall have a duration of no more than fifteen years. A taxpayer with an existing agreement may apply for and receive a new agreement for any qualified location or locations that are not part of an existing agreement under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act, but cannot apply for a new agreement for a qualified location designated in an existing agreement until after the end of the performance period for the existing agreement.

(4) The incentives contained in the ImagiNE Nebraska Act shall be in lieu of the tax credits allowed by the Nebraska Advantage Rural Development Act for any project. In computing credits under the Nebraska Advantage Rural Development Act, any investment or employment which is eligible for benefits or used in determining benefits under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act shall be subtracted from the increases computed for determining the credits under section 77-27,188 . New investment or employment at a project location that results in the meeting or maintenance of the employment or investment requirements, the creation of credits, or refunds of taxes under the Nebraska Advantage Act shall not be considered new investment or employment for purposes of the ImagiNE Nebraska Act. The use of carryover credits under the Nebraska Advantage Act, the Employment and Investment Growth Act, the Invest Nebraska Act, the Nebraska Advantage Rural Development Act, or the Quality Jobs Act shall not preclude investment and employment from being considered new investment or employment under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act. The use of property tax exemptions at the project under the Employment and Investment Growth Act or the Nebraska Advantage Act does not preclude investment not eligible for such property tax exemptions from being considered new investment under the ImagiNE Nebraska Act.