(A) A qualified business shall register with the Secretary for purposes of this chapter. Approval of this registration constitutes certification by the Secretary for twelve months after being issued. A business is permitted to renew its registration with the Secretary so long as, at the time of renewal, the business remains a qualified business.

(B) If the Secretary finds that any information contained in an application of a business for registration under this chapter is false, the Secretary shall revoke the registration of the business. The Secretary shall not revoke the registration of a business only because it ceases business operations for an indefinite period of time, as long as the business renews its registration.

(C) A registration as a qualified business may not be sold or otherwise transferred, except that, if a qualified business enters into a merger, conversion, consolidation, or other similar transaction with another business and the surviving company would otherwise meet the criteria for being a qualified business, the surviving company retains the registration for the twelve-month registration period without further application to the Secretary. In this case, the qualified business shall provide the Secretary with written notice of the merger, conversion, consolidation, or similar transaction and other information as required by the Secretary.

(D) By January thirty-first each year, the Secretary shall report to the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the Governor, a list of the businesses that have registered with the Secretary as a qualified business. The report must include, by county, the name and address of each business, the location of its headquarters, a description of the type of business in which it engages, the amount of capital it has raised including the amount of qualified investment as defined by this chapter, the number of full-time, part-time, and temporary jobs created by the business during the period covered by the report, and the average wages paid by these jobs. An aggregated statewide report containing the number of businesses, the amount of capital raised by the businesses including the amount of qualified investment as defined by this chapter, the number of full-time, part-time and temporary jobs created by the businesses, and the average wages paid by these jobs also must be made available in a conspicuous place on the Secretary’s website. The report must be updated annually.