Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:

Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the following:

SUMMARY

This amendment is the majority report of the committee. It replaces the bill, which was a concept draft, and authorizes the State to provide Pine Tree Development Zone benefits to Maine manufacturing companies that would not otherwise qualify for these benefits. A business is required to satisfy specific criteria, including that it is a for-profit business that has been engaged in manufacturing in the State for at least 3 years; it makes a written commitment to expand its business at one of its current locations in the State by adding at the location of expansion a minimum of 20 net new, full-time employees for whom a retirement program and group health coverage are provided and whose income satisfies certain criteria; and it makes a written commitment to invest a minimum of $2,000,000 in its expansion at one of its current locations. The amendment specifies the criteria for the application that an applicant must submit to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, and it also adds a sunset provision that requires applications for benefits to be received by the commissioner by December 1, 2009. This amendment also authorizes the Department of Economic and Community Development to adopt rules to implement this legislation.