(a) State-university-based center for employee ownership. The Chancellor/Director of the STATE University System is hereby directed to, within 100 days of the effective date of this legislation, establish a state-university-based Center for Employee Ownership, “the Center.” The Center shall:
-(i) Provide education and outreach to inform business owners about the benefits of employee ownership and employee ownership in succession planning;
-(ii) Organize workshops and conferences on employee ownership and employee ownership in succession planning;
-(iii) Prepare and distribute materials concerning employee ownership and employee ownership in succession planning with the goal of increasing and expanding employee owned businesses;
-(iv) Provide consultation to business owners exploring the possibility of transferring full or partial ownership to employees;
-(v) Provide a referral service to help business owners find legal, financial, and technical advice in connection with employee ownership successions;
-(vi) Partner with key organizations, such as professional and trade associations, financial institutions, unions, economic development organizations, and other non-profit entities, to promote employee ownership successions;
-(vii) Conduct investigations, research, studies, and analyses on the subject of employee ownership;
-(viii) Support the growth of associations of employee-owned companies; and
-(x) Provide support and access in government relations, including providing access to information regarding rules and regulations that relate to employee ownership and develop proposals for changes in policies to promote employee ownership.
-(xi) Ensure awareness in STATE of the new availability of U.S. Small Business Association loans to employee-owned businesses and leverage and coordinate with Small Business Development Centers to ensure maximum growth of employee-owned businesses in STATE.
-(xii) Within one year of its establishment, the Center shall issue a public report, delivered to the Governor and Legislature and made available on its website, assessing whether there is a need for additional low-interest loans to support employee-owned businesses in STATE and if so, make recommendations regarding how to amend state law to expand existing small business revolving loan funds to include employee-owned businesses, and making other legislative changes or appropriations as appropriate.

(b) Tax incentive for employee-owned businesses. There is hereby added to the list of deductions from gross income under the tax law a deduction for [50%] of the gains from sale of a business to employees or conversion of a business to employee-ownership, if after the transfer (a) employees or a qualified ESOP own at least 50% of all outstanding securities issued by the corporation after completion of the transaction and the corporation is domiciled in STATE.

(c) Ensure state laws encourage the creation of employee-owned businesses. The Department of [State/Economic Development] in cooperation with the Center established in section (a) above, is hereby directed to, within 100 days of the effective date of this legislation, issue a public report, delivered to the Governor and Legislature and made available on its website, assessing whether there is a need for changes to the corporation, tax, or other laws of STATE to facilitate the creation or expansion of employee-owned businesses in STATE.