4. a. There is established a pilot program, to be administered by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, through which the authority shall provide grants to businesses to assign their employees, who are New Jersey residents assigned to locations outside of the State, to New Jersey locations. A business shall be eligible for a grant under the pilot program if the business has 25 or more full time employees and is principally located in another state.

b. A business seeking a grant pursuant to this section shall submit an application for approval to the authority on or before July 1, 2028, in the form and manner prescribed by the chief executive officer of the authority. Following approval of an application, but before the disbursement of grant funds, the authority shall require the business to enter into a grant agreement. The grant agreement shall, at a minimum, specify the amount of the grant to be awarded to the business, the minimum number of resident employees the business shall assign to the State, and, if applicable, the terms governing actions proposed to be undertaken by the business for the purpose of receiving the preference authorized by subsection c. of this section. If the authority determines that the business made a material misrepresentation on the business’s grant application or if the business fails to comply with any requirement set forth in the grant agreement, then the business shall return to the authority any grant awarded pursuant to this section.

c. The value of the grant shall be the New Jersey Gross Income Tax withholdings of resident employees re-assigned by the business to a New Jersey location, as certified by the Director of the Division of Taxation, or $500,000, whichever is less. In awarding the grants made available by this section, the authority may establish a preference for businesses that: acquire or lease office space in this State and make a capital investment in such office space; submit to the authority a plan showing that the business will provide bonuses to, or otherwise increase the compensation of, employees relocating to the State; or both. The sum of all grants awarded pursuant to this section shall not exceed $35,000,000 in any State fiscal year.

As used in this subsection, “capital investment” means expenses that the business incurs, or are incurred on behalf of the business by its landlord, for construction, repair, renovation, improvement, equipping, or furnishing of a building or structure acquired or leased by the business and used in connection with the operation of the business.

L.2023, c.125, s.4.