LANSING – The Senate Economic Development Committee on Wednesday approved three bills aimed at making the state friendly to industrial parks or smart zones.

SB 1203 would allow a local government with a technology park to join together with another municipality without the park to designate the joint area as a technology park, creating a “hub” for technological businesses, proponents said.

Companion legislation in HB 5609 would move up the deadline for the Economic Development Corporation to designate three new technology parks, allowing the designation to happen between February 1 and December 31, 2009.

Another bill approved by the committee seeks to redefine which businesses are eligible for tax credits under the Plant Rehabilitation and Industrial Development Act.

Under the legislation, qualified commercial activity would mean any business with a property that is used for warehousing, distribution, communication or logistic purposes with a structure that is larger than 100,000 square feet.

Sponsor Sen. Cameron Brown (R-Fawn River Twp.) said that even though the governor vetoed his last attempt to make the bill law, he believes strongly in its potential to make the state attractive for new businesses with its lower tax costs.

“I’m a fighter,” he said. “No doesn’t always mean no.”

Chair Sen. Alan Sanborn (R-Richmond) said that after his initial skepticism in taking up same bill in his committee twice, a visit last week to Indiana convinced him that this legislation is necessary to compete with the work that state is doing to attract new companies.

“We could learn a lot from Indiana,” Sanborn said. “I’m prepared to move this four more times if we have to.”

Scott Schraeger, with the Department of Treasury, said that he opposes the bill in its current form but didn’t want to go into specifics because he believes the parts of the legislation that the department takes issue with are still evolving.

Democrats on the panel voted against the bill, with Sen. Buzz Thomas (D-Detroit) abstaining.

Sen. Gilda Jacobs (D-Huntington Woods) said she supports the idea behind the legislation but wants to ensure that the Department of Treasury is happy with it before she votes in favor of it.

Thomas said he’s sympathetic about how long Brown may have waited to get his legislation passed, but he cautioned the sponsor not to rush voting on the Senate floor “on a partisan basis.”

“Give us a chance to meet the opposition half way, or I fear (the legislation) will meet the same fate (at the governor’s desk) the second time.”

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