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Senate Bill 39 Allows Up to $100 Million in Business Incentive Credits for Transformational Mixed-Use Development in the State of Ohio

Client Alert

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 39 on December 29, 2020, which created a new tax credit applicable to insurance premium taxes. This tax credit is designed to provide funding for a transformational mixed-use development or “TMUD” in the state of Ohio.

Effective as of March 31, 2021, Senate Bill 39 authorizes the Ohio Tax Credit Authority (“OTCA”), within the Ohio Development Services Agency (“ODSA”), to award up to $100 million of total business incentive credits in each of the fiscal years 2020-2023, which will then be applied against insurance premium taxes. Individual projects are capped at $40 million. Of the $100 million, there remains a reserved amount of $20 million of such credits each fiscal year for projects not located within a “Major City”, which is within ten miles of a municipality with more than 100,000 people.           

What Qualifies as a TMUD Project?

According to O.R.C. 122.09, the development project may be certified as a TMUD by meeting the following requirements:

  1. Must consist of new construction or redevelopment, rehabilitation, or expansion of an existing vacant structure, or a combination of the two; and
  2. Must have a “transformational economic impact” on the site and surrounding area. Transformational economic impact can be measured through the estimated increased tax collections resulting from the increased activity of the development, which must exceed 10% of the development costs within five (5) years of certification (as measured by a preliminary economic impact study, although not yet defined); and
  3. Must be mixed-use (integrating some combination of retail, office, residential, recreation, structured parking, or other similar uses); and
  4. Must include a structure or structures that meet certain height, square footage, or increased payroll requirements (urban projects must include at least one new or previously vacant building that is a) at least 15 stories high, or b) has a floor area of at least 350,000 square feet, or c) after completion will be the site of employment accounting for at least $4 million in annual payroll, or d) includes two or more connected buildings that collectively have a floor area exceeding 350,000 square feet); and
  5. Cannot be completed unless the applicant receives the credit; and
  6. Must have estimated development costs exceeding $50 million if the project is located within ten miles of a Major City.

Who Can Apply?

Those who may apply for these TMUDs include either a) property owners, or b) insurance companies that contribute capital which is then used in the planning or construction of this type of eligible development. Insurance companies may ultimately claim this credit, as it is a credit against an entity’s Ohio insurance premium taxes. A property owner who originally applies and receives the TMUD credit may either transfer it to an insurance company or sell or transfer the rights to that credit to others in order to raise project capital.

What’s Next?

The state is currently undertaking rulemaking for this new incentive and developing program guidelines. These guidelines, as defined by the Director of ODSA, are expected to be released within the next 30 days. All TMUD projects must be certified by the OTCA by June 30, 2023.

For additional questions on this tax credit, please contact BMD Member Jason Butterworth at jabutterworth@bmdllc.com or (330) 374-3216.


Advanced Practice Providers and Telemedicine Start-Up Surge

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we heard a lot about “surges” that happened all over the country regarding the virus. One of the other interesting “surges” we have followed is the “surge” in new healthcare business start-ups, particularly businesses owned by advanced practice providers, such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists (“Advanced Practice Providers” or “APPs”). One of the hottest areas in the healthcare start-up surge has been the creation of practices that are telemedicine focused.

Ohio Department of Health Releases Updated Charge Limits for Medical Records

Under Ohio law, a healthcare provider or medical records company that receives a request for a copy of a patient's medical record may charge an amount in accordance with the limits set forth in Ohio Revised Code Section 3701.741. The allowable amounts are increased or decreased annually by the average percentage of increase or decrease in the consumer price index for all urban consumers, prepared by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the immediately preceding calendar year over the calendar year immediately preceding that year, as reported by the Bureau. The Director of the Ohio Department of Health makes this determination and adjusts the amounts accordingly. The list is then published, here.

No Surprises Act Compliance (Published by NAMAS, 2/25/22)

The Department of Health and Human Services published three parts to the No Surprises Act towards the end of 2021, which took effect January 1, 2022. The Act is intended to protect consumers from “balance billing,” which occurs when a patient receives a bill with a higher price than they may have anticipated because they did not have knowledge that the provider or facility was out-of-network. The purpose of this article is to note certain requirements that compliance employees will need to be aware of at their facilities, including notice and consent, good faith estimates, and public disclosures.

No Surprises Act and You (Published in the SCMS Winter 2022 Newsletter)

Legislation has been adopted by the United States Congress and the Ohio Legislature known as the “No Surprises Act” which attempts to regulate billing by professionals and facilities to patients who are not in networks with those facilities or providers at those facilities. The federal bill was triggered by some sensational news stories of patients being billed for tens of thousands of dollars for emergency care when the hospital was out of the network under the patient’s insurance plans.

Are You Impacted by the Project Labor Agreement Executive Order?

Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) are a quasi-collective bargaining agreement between employers and unions. They establish the terms and conditions of employment, including dispute resolution. They are put into place on specific projects and apply to the contractor, whether it is union or non-union. Employees hired on the project will be treated as union.