TITLE 29

State Government

Departments of Government

CHAPTER 87A. Economic Development

Subchapter IX. Allocation of State Private Activity Bond Ceiling to Governmental Units, Establishment of Industrial Revenue Bond Committee and Reporting Requirements

§ 8790A. Definitions.

The following words and terms, unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning, shall have the following respective meanings:

(1) “Authority” means the Delaware Economic Development Authority created by § 8753A of this title.

(2) “Chairperson” means the Chairperson of the Authority.

(3) “Chief elected official” means the highest elected official of any political subdivision of the State, including, but not limited to, the County Executive of New Castle County, the President of the Sussex County Council, the President of the Levy Court of Kent County and the Mayor of the City of Wilmington.

(4) “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

(5) “Committee” means the Industrial Revenue Bond Committee established pursuant to § 8792A of this title.

(6) “Private activity bond” has the meaning ascribed to that term in the Code.

(7) “Secretary of Finance” means the Secretary of Finance of this State.

(8) [Repealed.]

(9) “State ceiling” has the meaning ascribed to that term in the Code.

(10) “Volume cap” has the meaning ascribed to that term in the Code.

65 Del. Laws, c. 212, §  17(a)66 Del. Laws, c. 92, §  16(a)70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  181 Del. Laws, c. 49, §  1

§ 8791A. Allocation of state ceiling.

(a) The state ceiling applicable to the State for each calendar year is allocated, and the volume cap for the state and local governmental issuers for each calendar year after 1987 is, as follows:

Annual Volume Cap
State 50.0 Percent
New Castle County 17.5 Percent
City of Wilmington 12.5 Percent
Kent County 10.0 Percent
Sussex County 10.0 Percent

(b) The entire volume cap of the State for each calendar year shall be retained by the State for future allocation by the Governor among the Delaware State Housing Authority and the other governmental issuers within the State.

(c) Each issuer’s volume cap may be used for any type of private activity bond and other tax-exempt obligations to which § 146 of the Code [26 U.S.C. § 146] applies.

(d) The Governor shall have the right, by executive order, to modify the allocations made under subsection (a) of this section; provided, however, that no such modification shall cause any obligation issued prior to the date of such modification to lose its qualification for tax-exempt treatment under the Code. This authority given to the Governor shall be exercisable by the Governor in the Governor’s discretion, but in so doing, the Governor shall consider any recommendation by the Committee that is adopted by a majority of the Committee’s members.

(e) An issuer’s application and allocation of any portion of its volume cap to any obligations of such issuer shall be considered effective upon such issuer’s delivery to the Secretary of Finance of a notice of the issuance of the obligations identifying the issuer, the proposed purchaser of such obligations, the amount of its volume cap allocated to such obligations and the purpose of the financing, and providing such other information as the Secretary of Finance may require. Upon the request of any issuer, the Governor or the Secretary of Finance shall certify, based on notices of issuance and notices of reassignments filed with the Secretary of Finance pursuant to this section, whether or not:

(1) Volume cap in the required amount is available for the issuer in connection with the issuance of certain of its obligations; and

(2) There is a valid allocation of volume cap for such issue pursuant to Section 146 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 [26 U.S.C. § 146].

(f) At the end of each calendar year commencing with calendar year 2020, any volume cap of a city or county, which has not been used by a city or county as determined by the records of the Secretary of Finance, automatically reverts to the State, and is carried forward subject to subsection (d) of this section and requirements of the Code.

65 Del. Laws, c. 212, §  17(a)66 Del. Laws, c. 92, §  16(a)70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  171 Del. Laws, c. 378, §  4473 Del. Laws, c. 95, §  5881 Del. Laws, c. 49, §  182 Del. Laws, c. 226, § 5

§ 8792A. Industrial Revenue Bond Committee.

(a) There is hereby established the Industrial Revenue Bond Committee, to be composed of the Chairperson, the Secretary of Finance, a representative of the Delaware State Housing Authority and 1 representative each from Sussex County, New Castle County, Kent County and the City of Wilmington, appointed by each jurisdiction pursuant to those procedures deemed by such jurisdiction to be necessary and appropriate. The Chairperson shall be the Chairperson of the Committee.

(b) The Committee shall make recommendations to the Governor of the State regarding modification of the allocation of the state ceiling made in § 8791A(a) of this title. The Secretary of Finance shall be responsible for monitoring the volume of private activity bonds issued by each of the participating jurisdictions and for recommending to the Committee changes in the allocation of the state ceiling as circumstances dictate.

(c) The Committee shall meet at such times and in such places as its members determine to be appropriate for carrying out its functions and purposes. The Committee shall engage in other activities to promote the cooperation of jurisdiction on economic development projects within the State. The Secretary of Finance shall report to the Governor, the General Assembly and the Committee at the conclusion of each year on the projects financed with private activity bonds and on other matters as appropriate.

65 Del. Laws, c. 212, §  17(a)66 Del. Laws, c. 92, §  16(a)70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  181 Del. Laws, c. 49, §  1

§ 8793A. Reports to Secretary of Finance.

(a) The Secretary of Finance is authorized to make such rules and regulations requiring any issuer allocated a volume cap for any calendar year under § 8791A of this title to file with the Secretary of Finance such reports as the Secretary of Finance may deem necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter. Any such reports required by the Secretary of Finance shall contain at least the following information with respect to each obligation issued or planned to be issued by such issuer:

(1) A brief description of the project financed or to be financed by such obligation;

(2) The amount of such obligation that is subject to such issuer’s volume cap, and, to the extent that any portion of such obligation is claimed to be not subject to its volume cap, an opinion of bond counsel to that effect;

(3) The date of issuance of such obligation or the date of preliminary approval if such obligation has not yet been issued; and

(4) A status report on the issuance, including the anticipated date of issue, if not yet issued.

(b) A copy of any report required by the Secretary of Finance pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be filed with the Secretary of Finance. In turn, the Secretary of Finance shall compile such reports and distribute the compilation to each issuer.

65 Del. Laws, c. 212, §  17(a)66 Del. Laws, c. 92, §  16(a)81 Del. Laws, c. 49, §  1