Section 31-23-59 - Threshold portion of ceiling; applications for notices of allocation; fee; notices of allocation; confirmation of issuance; transfer of fundsThe threshold portion of the state's ceiling is hereby established in an amount equal to fifty percent (50%) of the state's ceiling for the year of calculation. Applications for notices of allocation from the threshold portion shall be received and acted on by the board as set forth in this section:
(a) All applications shall be filed on a form promulgated from time to time by the board. The application form shall set forth and include: (i) The name and address of the issuer and each borrower;(ii) The dollar amount of the threshold portion requested;(iii) Whether the applicant requests that a partial allocation be granted in the event the board is unable to grant a notice of allocation for the full amount of the threshold portion requested;(iv) Whether, if a partial allocation is made, the applicant wishes the allocation shortfall to be treated as a separate application;(v) Such additional qualifying criteria as the board may establish; and(vi) An allocation fee of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) to be deposited in the revolving fund established in Section 57-1-66.(b) In addition, applications filed on or after November 1 of each year shall be accompanied by either of the following (unless previously filed with the board):(i) A certified copy of the transcript of the proceeding of the governing body authorizing the issuance of the bonds; or(ii)1. A copy of the inducement resolution or other similar official action taken by the issuer with respect to the project which is the subject of the application, certified by an officer of the issuer; and2. A written statement of legal counsel or bond counsel, addressed to the board, to the effect that the issuer is authorized under the law of the state to issue bonds for projects of the same type and nature as the project which is the subject of the application. This statement shall cite by constitutional or statutory reference the provision of the constitution or law of the state which authorizes the bonds for the project; and3. Either a. In the case of a private placement of bonds, a written commitment from a lender, financial institution, underwriter or investment banker, addressed to the board, the borrower or the issuer, stating that the lender, financial institution, underwriter or investment banker, as the case may be, has agreed to purchase the bonds upon delivery by the issuer and setting forth the rate of interest to be borne by the bonds; orb. In the case of a public offering of bonds, a letter from a lender, financial institution, underwriter or investment banker addressed to the board, the borrower or the issuer, stating that the lender, financial institution, underwriter or investment banker, as the case may be, has agreed to tender a contract for the purchase of the bonds; and(c) The board shall stamp or otherwise designate the date and time on which it receives each application. The application shall be considered approved upon review and approval by the bond committee or its designee pursuant to rules, regulations or qualifying criteria promulgated by the board. The application shall be stamped approved when each of the items required under paragraph (a) or paragraphs (a) and (b) above, as applicable, has been received in proper form by the board and approved by the bond committee or its designee. Any application which is not in proper form and which is determined not to be an approved application may be corrected and refiled at any time. Receipt shall be deemed to occur only on a business day.(d) Within ten (10) days or no later than the last business day of the calendar year after the board receives the application the board shall:(i) Give its notice of allocation, approving or denying the allocation requested by such application; or(ii) Give its notice of allocation, approving or denying less than the full amount requested by such application, if the applicant has so requested a partial allocation in the event the board is unable to approve the allocation requested; in such event, if the applicant has requested that the allocation shortfall be treated as a separate application, such allocation shortfall shall be treated as though it were a separate application filed on the date and time on which the original application was filed; or(iii) Give notice to the issuer that the allocation requested by the application has not been approved or denied because the threshold portion has been exhausted or is insufficient to make the requested allocation, and request written direction from the issuer or the borrower as to whether the board should retain the application for approval in the future or whether the application should be withdrawn or otherwise. If the threshold portion is insufficient to make the requested allocation and the applicant requests the board to hold its approved application until the full amount of the requested allocation can be granted, the board shall not give notices of allocation from the threshold portion for approved applications filed later than such approved application unless the board determines that it is unlikely that the full amount requested in such approved application will be available during the calendar year.(e) Notices of allocation shall be given with respect to approved applications in the chronological order, by date and time, in which the approved applications were received by the board (except as otherwise provided in this paragraph), shall bear an effective date beginning on the date of issuance of the notice of allocation, and shall bear an expiration date as follows:(i) Sixty (60) calendar days from the date of issuance, if issued on or after January 1, and on or before October 15;(ii) December 15, if issued after October 15, and prior to December 9;(iii) Seven (7) calendar days from the date of issuance, if issued on or after December 9, but in no event shall the expiration date be later than December 31.(f) If at any time none of the threshold portion remains available for notices of allocation, but additional amounts of the threshold portion become available later in the year because confirmation of issuance was not received by the board on or before the applicable expiration date for any notice of allocation, or because the board has transferred any portion of the state's ceiling to the threshold portion pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, the board shall give a notice of allocation with respect to approved applications earlier received, including any approved applications which failed to receive a notice of allocation pursuant to paragraph (d) above or for which an allocation shortfall was treated as a separate application. Such notices of allocation shall be given, to the extent that the threshold portion becomes available at such later time, with respect to approved applications in chronological order, by date and time, in which they were received by the board (except as otherwise provided in paragraph (d)(iii) of this section).(g) When bonds covered by a notice of allocation have been issued, confirmation of issuance shall be filed with the board on or before the expiration date.(h) If confirmation of issuance is not received by the board on or before the applicable expiration date, the amount covered by the particular notice of allocation shall automatically be returned to, and added to, the threshold portion, and shall be available for use in other notices of allocation; provided, if confirmation of issuance is received after the applicable expiration date, the board may, in its discretion and provided amounts are available for such project, treat such bonds as though confirmation of issuance had been received on or before the applicable expiration date.(i) If confirmation of issuance is not received by the board on or before the applicable expiration date with respect to a notice of allocation, the issuer may file additional applications after the expiration date with respect to all or any part of the issue of bonds covered by such notice of allocation, but such applications shall be treated as filed on the next day after actually filed (and at the time of day such application was filed) for purposes of determining which applications shall receive a notice of allocation where the amount of approved applications on the actual day of filing exceeds the amount of the threshold portion available at that time for notices of allocation.(j) If, and to the extent that, amounts requested pursuant to approved applications from the undesignated portion exceed the unused amount of the undesignated portion, the board may, at any time and from time to time between July 1 and October 31 of each year, transfer to the undesignated portion all or any part of the unused amount of the threshold portion in excess of the following percentages of the original threshold portion for that year: Month of Transfer | Percentage of Original Threshold Portion |
July | 60% |
August | 50% |
September | 40% |
October | 30% |
(k) If, and to the extent that, amounts requested pursuant to approved applications from the undesignated portion exceed the unused amount of the undesignated portion, the board may, at any time and from time to time on or after November 1 of each year, transfer all or any part of the unused amount of the threshold portion to the undesignated portion.(l) If, and to the extent that, amounts requested pursuant to approved applications from the threshold portion exceed the unused amount of the threshold portion, the board may, at any time and from time to time between June 1 and October 31 of each year, transfer to the threshold portion all or any part of the unused amount of the undesignated portion in excess of the following percentages of the original undesignated portion for that year: Month of Transfer | Percentage of Original Threshold Portion |
June | 30% |
July | 25% |
August | 20% |
September | 15% |
October | 10% |
(m) If, and to the extent that, amounts requested pursuant to approved applications from the threshold portion exceed the unused amount of the threshold portion, the board may, at any time and from time to time on or after November 1 of each year, transfer all or any part of the unused amount of the undesignated portion to the threshold portion.(n) No fee shall be required at any time for allocations under the Mississippi Business Finance Corporation Beginning Farmer Program, Section 57-10-301 et seq.Laws, 1987, ch. 522, § 5; Laws, 1991, ch. 584, § 7; Laws, 1993, ch. 548, § 1, eff. 4/19/1993.