Section 35 ILCS 45/110-20 - Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity (MICRO) Program; project applications(a) The Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity (MICRO) Program is hereby established and shall be administered by the Department. The Program will provide financial incentives to eligible semiconductor manufacturers, microchip manufacturers, quantum computer manufacturers, and companies that primarily engage in research and development in the manufacturing of quantum computers, semiconductors, or microchips. For the purposes of this Section, a company is primarily engaged in research and development in the manufacturing of quantum computers, semiconductors, or microchips if at least 50% of its business activities involve research and development in the manufacturing of quantum computers, semiconductors, or microchips..(b) Any taxpayer planning a project to be located in Illinois may request consideration for designation of its project as a MICRO project, by formal written letter of request or by formal application to the Department, in which the applicant states its intent to make at least a specified level of investment and intends to hire a specified number of full-time employees at a designated location in Illinois. As circumstances require, the Department shall require a formal application from an applicant and a formal letter of request for assistance.(c) In order to qualify for credits under the program, an applicant must: (1) for a semiconductor manufacturer, a microchip manufacturer, a quantum computer manufacturer, or a company focusing on research and development in the manufacturing of quantum computers, semiconductors, or microchips: (A) make an investment of at least $1,500,000,000 in capital improvements at the project site;(B) to be placed in service within the State within a 60-month period after approval of the application; and(C) create at least 500 new full-time employee jobs; or(2) for a semiconductor component parts manufacturer, a microchip component parts manufacturer, a quantum computer component parts manufacturer, or a company focusing on research and development in the manufacture of component parts for quantum computers, semiconductors, or microchips:(A) make an investment of at least $300,000,000 in capital improvements at the project site;(B) manufacture one or more parts that are primarily used for the manufacture of semiconductors or microchips;(C) to be placed in service within the State within a 60-month period after approval of the application; and(D) create at least 150 new full-time employee jobs; or(3) for a semiconductor manufacturer, a microchip manufacturer, a quantum computer manufacturer, a company focusing on research and development in the manufacturing of quantum computers, semiconductors, or microchips, or a semiconductor or microchip component parts manufacturer that does not quality under paragraph (2) above: (A) make an investment of at least $2,500,000 in capital improvements at the project site;(B) to be placed in service within the State within a 48-month period after approval of the application; and(C) create at least 50 new full-time employee jobs or new full-time employees equivalent to 10% of the number of full-time employees employed by the applicant world-wide on the date the application is filed with the Department; or(4) for a semiconductor manufacturer, quantum computer manufacturer, microchip manufacturer, or semiconductor or microchip component parts manufacturer with existing operations in Illinois that intends to convert or expand, in whole or in part, the existing facility from traditional manufacturing to semiconductor manufacturing, quantum computer manufacturing, or microchip manufacturing or semiconductor, quantum computer, or microchip component parts manufacturing, or a company focusing on research and development in the manufacturing of quantum computers, semiconductors, or microchips:(A) make an investment of at least $100,000,000 in capital improvements at the project site;(B) to be placed in service within the State within a 60-month period after approval of the application; and(C) create the lesser of 75 new full-time employee jobs or new full-time employee jobs equivalent to 10% of the Statewide baseline applicable to the taxpayer and any related member at the time of application.(d) For any applicant creating the full-time employee jobs noted in subsection (c), those jobs must have a total compensation equal to or greater than 120% of the average wage paid to full-time employees in the county where the project is located, as determined by the Department.(e) Each applicant must outline its hiring plan and commitment to recruit and hire full-time employee positions at the project site. The hiring plan may include a partnership with an institution of higher education to provide internships, including, but not limited to, internships supported by the Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program, or full-time permanent employment for students at the project site. Additionally, the applicant may create or utilize participants from apprenticeship programs that are approved by and registered with the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. The Applicant may apply for apprenticeship education expense credits in accordance with the provisions set forth in 14 Ill. Admin. Code 522. Each applicant is required to report annually, on or before April 15, on the diversity of its workforce in accordance with Section 110-50 of this Act. For existing facilities of applicants under paragraph (3) of subsection (b) above, if the taxpayer expects a reduction in force due to its transition to manufacturing semiconductors, microchips, or semiconductor or microchip component parts, the plan submitted under this Section must outline the taxpayer's plan to assist with retraining its workforce aligned with the taxpayer's adoption of new technologies and anticipated efforts to retrain employees through employment opportunities within the taxpayer's workforce.(f) A taxpayer may not enter into more than one agreement under this Act with respect to a single address or location for the same period of time. Also, a taxpayer may not enter into an agreement under this Act with respect to a single address or location for the same period of time for which the taxpayer currently holds an active agreement under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act. This provision does not preclude the applicant from entering into an additional agreement after the expiration or voluntary termination of an earlier agreement under this Act or under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act to the extent that the taxpayer's application otherwise satisfies the terms and conditions of this Act and is approved by the Department. An applicant with an existing agreement under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act may submit an application for an agreement under this Act after it terminates any existing agreement under the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act with respect to the same address or location.Amended by P.A. 103-0595,§ 30, eff. 6/26/2024.Amended by P.A. 102-1125,§ 935, eff. 2/3/2023.Added by P.A. 102-0700,§ 110-20, eff. 4/19/2022.