B. It has received a certificate as a qualified business pursuant to section 5250-O.

18.__Qualified Pine Tree Development Zone employees.__ "Qualified Pine Tree Development Zone employees" means new, full- time employees hired in this State by a qualified Pine Tree Development Zone business for work directly in one or more qualified business activities for whom a retirement program subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, 29 United States Code, Sections 101 to 1461 (2003) and group health insurance are provided and whose wages derived from employment within the Pine Tree Development Zone are greater than the average annual per capita wages in the local labor market area in the county in which the qualified employee is employed.__ Qualified Pine Tree Development Zone employees must be residents of this State.

19.__State average weekly wage.__"State average weekly wage" means the average weekly wage as published by the Department of Labor for the State as a whole for the 12 most recently reported months preceding the date of application for zone designation.

20.__State unemployment rate.__"State unemployment rate" means the average unemployment rate published by the Department of Labor for the State as a whole for the 12 most recently reported months preceding the date of application for zone designation.

21.__Targeted technology business.__"Targeted technology business" means a business primarily involved in a targeted technology as defined in Title 5, section 15301.

22.__Unit of local government.__"Unit of local government" means a municipality, county, plantation, unorganized territory or Indian tribe.

§5250-J.__Pine Tree Development Zones

1.__Creation.__One or more units of local government, or an organization representing one or more units of local government, may apply to the commissioner for the designation of a Pine Tree Development Zone within the boundaries of the unit or units of