S.C. Code Ann. § 12-10-95 — Credit against withholding for retraining; program review; policies and procedures

(A)(1) Subject to the conditions in this section, a business engaged in manufacturing or processing operations or technology-intensive activities at a manufacturing, processing, or technology-intensive facility as defined in Section 12-6-3360(M), or warehousing and distribution, and that meets the requirements of Section 12-10-50(B)(2), with approval from the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, may claim as a credit against withholding one thousand dollars a year for the retraining of a production or technology or warehousing and distribution first line employee or immediate supervisor who has been continuously employed by the business for a minimum of one year and is a full-time employee, so long as retraining is necessary for the qualifying business to remain competitive or to introduce new technologies. In addition to the yearly limits, the retraining credit claimed against withholding may not exceed five thousand dollars over five consecutive years for each retrained production or technology first line employee or immediate supervisor.
(2) Retraining programs that are eligible for the credit include, but are not limited to:
(a) retraining of current employees on newly installed equipment;
(b) retraining of current employees on newly implemented technology, such as computer platforms, software implementation and upgrades, Total Quality Management, ISO 9000, and self-directed work teams; and
(c) retraining of current employees for the purpose of upskilling, management development, or recertification in production-related competencies.
Executive training, personal enrichment training, and cross-training of employees on equipment or technology that is not new to the company are not eligible for the credit.
(B) A qualifying business is eligible to claim as a retraining credit against withholding the lower amount of the following:
(1) the retraining credit for the applicable withholding period as determined by subsection (A); or
(2) withholding paid to the State for the applicable withholding period.
(C) All retraining must be approved by the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education.
(D) An employer may not receive the credit allowed by this section if the employer requires that the employee reimburse or pay the employer for the direct costs of retraining, or if the employee is required to reimburse or pay the employer indirectly through the forfeiture of leave time, vacation time, or other compensable time. Direct costs of retraining include instructor salaries, development of retraining programs, purchase or rental of materials and supplies, textbooks and manuals, instructional media, such as video tapes, presentations, equipment used for retraining only, not to include production equipment, and reasonable travel costs as limited by the state's travel expense reimbursement policy.
(E) The qualifying business must expend at least one dollar on retraining eligible employees for every dollar claimed as a credit against withholding for retraining. All training costs, including costs in excess of the retraining credits and matching funds, are the responsibility of the business.
(F) A qualifying business may not claim retraining credit for training provided to the following production or technology first line employees or immediate supervisors:
(a) temporary or contract employees; and
(b) employees who are included in the minimum job requirement of an ongoing revitalization agreement, including a preliminary revitalization agreement and for which the company is eligible to claim job development credits. A qualifying business may claim retraining credits for employees who are not subject to the job development credit but who are included in the base employment of an ongoing revitalization agreement provided that such employees meet the requirements for retraining eligibility included in this section.
(G) In addition to another provision of this section, the retraining credit allowed by this section is for:
(1) training included in a registered apprenticeship program; and
(2) retraining for all relevant employees that enable a company to export or increase its ability to export its products, including training for logistics, regulatory, and administrative areas connected to its export process and other export process training that allows a qualified company to maintain or expand its business in this State.
(H) There is hereby established an annual renewal fee of two hundred fifty dollars to be billed and collected by the department.
(I)(1) All approved programs and training must be reviewed annually by the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education.
(2) A qualifying business may contract with the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education or a subsidiary technical college to assist with additional program administration beyond what is required in a typical retraining agreement for a quarterly fee not to exceed twenty percent of the retraining credit amount claimed. Fees must be collected on a quarterly basis.
(3) Every three years, the Department of Revenue must audit any business that claimed the job retraining credit pursuant to this section during that time period, solely for the purpose of verifying proper sources and uses of the credits.
(J) The State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education shall establish policies and procedures to provide the oversight and review provisions of this section. By November fifteenth of each year, the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education shall submit a statewide aggregated report detailing the utilization of the retraining credit pursuant to this section, as well as the board's activities in regard to oversight, to the Governor, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Coordinating Council for Economic Development, and the Department of Revenue. Also, the board shall make the report available in a conspicuous place on the website maintained by the board.