A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to modify what areas may receive grants from the utility account.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 143B‑437.01 reads as rewritten:
"§ 143B‑437.01.  Industrial Development Fund Utility Account.
(a)	Creation and Purpose of Fund. – There is created in the Department of Commerce a special account to be known as the Industrial Development Fund Utility Account ("Utility Account") to provide funds to assist the local government units of the most economically distressed areas in the State in creating jobs. The Department of Commerce shall adopt rules providing for the administration of the program. Those rules shall include the following provisions, which shall apply to each grant from the account:
(1)	The funds shall be used in economically distressed areas for construction of or improvements to new or existing water, sewer, gas, telecommunications, high‑speed broadband, electrical utility distribution lines or equipment, or transportation infrastructure for existing or new or proposed buildings. To be eligible for funding, the water, gas, telecommunications, high‑speed broadband, electrical utility lines or facilities, or transportation infrastructure shall be located on the site of the building or, if not located on the site, shall be directly related to the operation of the job creation activity. To be eligible for funding, the sewer infrastructure shall be located on the site of the building or, if not located on the site, shall be directly related to the operation of the job creation activity, even if the sewer infrastructure is located in a county other than the county in which the building is located.
(1a)	The funds shall be used for projects located in economically distressed areas except that the Secretary of Commerce may use up to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to provide emergency economic development assistance in any county that is documented to be experiencing a major economic dislocation.
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(a1)	Definitions. – The following definitions apply in this section:
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(4)	Economically distressed areas. – Any of the following:
a.	A county that is defined as a development tier one or two area under G.S. 143B‑437.08 after the adjustments of that section are applied.
b.	An urban progress zone, as defined in G.S. 143B‑437.09.
c.	An agrarian growth zone, as defined in G.S. 143B‑437.010.
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SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.