A. A qualified federal contractor may receive quarterly incentive payments for renewable ten-year periods from the Oklahoma Tax Commission pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program Act and the provisions of this section.

B. The amount of such payments shall be equal to a net benefit rate of not less than twenty-five hundredths of one percent (0.25%), but not greater than two percent (2%), multiplied by the total qualified labor hours worked by employees of the federal contractor or employees of a qualified federal subcontractor, or both, pursuant to a qualified federal contract for a calendar quarter as verified by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission and certified by a qualified federal contractor verifier. The net benefit rate for a qualified federal contractor shall be scaled to annual subcontracting goals that account for both total qualified subcontract labor hours and the ratio of qualified subcontract labor hours to total qualified labor hours. Unless limited by the cost/benefit analysis, the net benefit rate shall:

1. Not exceed twenty-five hundredths of one percent (0.25%) when annual qualified subcontract labor hours are less than Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) or when annual qualified subcontract labor is less than one percent (1%) of the annual total qualified labor hours claimed;

2. Not be less than five-tenths of one percent (0.5%) when subcontract goals are met with a minimum of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) of annual total qualified subcontractor labor hours and these hours are a minimum of one percent (1%) of the annual total qualified hours claimed;

3. Not be less than one percent (1%) when subcontract goals are met with a minimum of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) of annual total qualified subcontractor labor hours and when these hours represent a minimum of five percent (5%) of the annual total qualified hours claimed;

4. Not be less than one and five-tenths percent (1.5%) when subcontract goals are met with a minimum of Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) of annual total qualified subcontractor labor hours and these hours are a minimum of ten percent (10%) of the annual total qualified hours claimed; and

5. Not be less than two percent (2.0%) when subcontract goals are met with a minimum of Four Million Dollars ($4,000,000.00) of annual total qualified subcontractor labor hours and these hours are a minimum of twenty percent (20%) of the annual total qualified hours claimed.

C. In order to receive incentive payments, a qualified federal contractor shall apply to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce within one hundred eighty (180) days following the date of the award of a qualified federal contract or award of a new qualified subcontract under an existing qualified federal contract. The application shall be on a form prescribed by the Department and shall contain such information as may be required by the Department to determine if the applicant is qualified. Once qualified by the Department, the applicant shall submit qualified federal contracts to the federal contract verifier. The federal contract verifier shall establish with the applicant an information system(s) or contract(s) as may be required to certify the total qualified labor hours, qualified labor rates, and reimbursement through the qualified federal contract. A qualified federal contractor may apply for an effective date for a project, which shall not be more than twenty-four (24) months from the date the application is submitted to the Department. No state agency shall be required to make any payment to a qualified federal contract verifier for any information needed by the agency to perform any duty imposed upon it pursuant to the provisions of Section 3601 et seq. of this title. All costs for the federal contract verifier shall be reimbursed through value-added services on the qualified federal contract or other mechanisms agreed to by the federal contractor verifier and the federal contract performers.

D. In order to qualify to receive incentive payments as authorized by the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program Act, in addition to other qualifications specified herein, a qualified federal contractor shall be required to pay direct jobs an average annualized wage which equals or exceeds:

1. One hundred ten percent (110%) of the average county wage as determined by the Department of Commerce based on the most recent U.S. Department of Commerce data for the county in which the new direct jobs are located. For purposes of this paragraph, health care premiums paid by the applicant for individuals in new direct jobs shall be included in the annualized wage; or

2. One hundred percent (100%) of the average county wage as that percentage is determined by the Department of Commerce based upon the most recent U.S. Department of Commerce data for the county in which the new jobs are located. For purposes of this paragraph, health care premiums paid by the applicant for individuals in new direct jobs shall not be included in the annualized wage.

Provided, no average wage requirement shall exceed Twenty-nine Thousand Four Hundred Nine Dollars ($29,409.00), in any county. This maximum wage threshold shall be indexed and modified from time to time based on the latest Consumer Price Index year-to-date percent change release as of the date of the annual average county wage data release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

3. For qualified subcontractor work, the qualified federal contractor shall have a minimum average qualified labor rate requirement paid to the subcontractor of Thirty-one Dollars ($31.00) per hour, in any county. This maximum wage threshold shall be indexed and modified from time to time based on the latest Consumer Price Index year-to-date percent change release as of the date of the annual average county wage data release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

E. The Department shall determine if the applicant is qualified to receive incentive payments using information supplied to the Department by the qualified federal contractor verifier. The NAICS code or codes under which the federal government awarded the qualified federal contract shall be used to determine the basic industry for a qualified federal contractor. For federal contracts awarded under NAICS codes not within the definition of basic industry pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection A of Section 3603 of this title, the Department of Commerce, with the federal contract verifier, may evaluate and utilize individual statement of work items that would qualify within a basic industry definition.

F. If the applicant is determined to be qualified by the Department, the Department shall conduct a cost/benefit analysis to determine the estimated net direct state benefits and the net benefit rate, as provided by subsection B of this section, applicable for a ten-year period beginning with the first complete calendar quarter following the start date and to estimate the amount of gross payroll and total qualified labor hours for a ten-year period beginning with the first complete calendar quarter following the start date. In conducting such cost/benefit analysis, the Department shall consider quantitative factors, such as the anticipated level of new tax revenues to the state along with the added cost to the state of providing services, and such other criteria as deemed appropriate by the Department. In no event shall incentive payments, cumulatively, exceed the estimated net direct state benefits. Using this net cost/benefit analysis model, the Department may establish the renewable ten-year contract with a qualified federal contractor at the entity level to encompass any current or future qualified federal contracts that meet the cost/benefit analysis metrics as determined by the federal contractor verifier and confirmed by the Department.

G. Upon approval of such an application, the Department shall notify the Tax Commission and shall provide it with a copy of the contract that has been cosigned by the federal contractor verifier and the results of the cost/benefit analysis. The Tax Commission may require the qualified federal contractor, federal contract verifier, and qualified subcontractors to submit such additional information as may be necessary to administer the provisions of the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program Act. The approved qualified federal contractor shall file quarterly claims with the Tax Commission and shall continue to file such quarterly claims during the ten-year incentive period to show its continued eligibility for incentive payments, as provided in Section 3606 of this title, or until it is no longer qualified to receive incentive payments. The qualified federal contractor may be audited by the Tax Commission to verify such eligibility. Once the qualified federal contractor is approved, an agreement shall be deemed to exist between the qualified federal contractor and the State of Oklahoma, requiring the continued incentive payment to be made as long as the qualified federal contractor retains its eligibility as defined in and established pursuant to this section and Sections 3603 and 3606 of this title and within the limitations contained in the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program Act, which existed at the time of such approval.

H. For qualified federal contracts with periods of performance exceeding two (2) years, if the actual annual verified gross qualified labor hours for four (4) consecutive calendar quarters does not equal or exceed Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000.00) within three (3) years of the start date, or does not equal or exceed actual annual gross qualified labor hours of Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000.00) at any other time during the ten-year period after the start date, the incentive payments shall not be made and shall not be resumed until such time as the actual annual qualified labor hours exceed Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000.00).

I. If the average annualized wage or minimum average qualified labor rate required by subsection H of this section is not met during any calendar quarter, the incentive payments shall not be made and shall not be resumed until such time as such requirements are met.

J. Before approving a quarterly incentive payment for a qualified federal contract, the federal contract verifier must first determine through the Department that neither the qualified federal contractor nor the subcontractor are receiving incentive payments under the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program Act, the Saving Quality Jobs Act, the 21st Century Quality Jobs Incentive Act or the Former Military Facility Development Act for the performance of the same such services under the qualified federal contract and is not qualified for approval of an application for incentive payments under the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program Act, the Saving Quality Jobs Act, the 21st Century Quality Jobs Incentive Act or the Former Military Facility Development Act for the performance of the same such services under the qualified federal contract. If the qualified federal contractor or the subcontractor are receiving or have an approved application for incentive payments under the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program Act, the Saving Quality Jobs Act, the 21st Century Quality Jobs Incentive Act or the Former Military Facility Development Act for the performance of the same such services under the qualified federal contract, each may choose to defer in part or in entirety the other incentives for the qualified federal contractor to receive the incentives pursuant to subsection B of this section. The federal contract verifier shall confirm any deferrals and ensure the total for all quality jobs incentive payments on any individual does not exceed the total net benefit to the state. Should neither the federal contractor nor the subcontractor defer in part or in entirety their incentive payments such that the total for all Quality Jobs incentive payments exceeds the total net benefit to the state, the priority for incentive payments shall go to the entity with the earliest recognized start date indentified within the current Department of Commerce Quality Jobs contract.

Added by Laws 2009, c. 369, § 2, eff. July 1, 2009. Amended by Laws 2010, c. 267, § 2, eff. July 1, 2010; Laws 2011, c. 268, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2011; Laws 2013, c. 227, § 25, eff. Nov. 1, 2013.