CERTIFICATION PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST FIREARM AND AMMUNITION INDUSTRIES (Texas law as of September 1, 2021) By submitting a proposal to this Solicitation, you certify that you agree, when it is applicable, to the following required by Texas law as of September 1, 2021: If (a) company is not a sole proprietorship; (b) company has at least ten (10) full-time employees; (c) this contract has a value of at least $100,000 that is paid wholly or partly from public funds; (d) the contract is not excepted under Tex. Gov’t Code § 2274.003 of SB 19 (87th leg.); and (e) governmental entity has determined that company is not a sole-source provider or governmental entity has not received any bids from a company that is able to provide this written verification, the following certification shall apply; otherwise, this certification is not required. Pursuant to Tex. Gov’t Code Ch. 2274 of SB 19 (87th session), the company hereby certifies and verifies that the company, or association, corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, or limited liability company, including a wholly owned subsidiary, majority-owned subsidiary parent company, or affiliate of these entities or associations, that exists to make a profit, does not have a practice, policy, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association and will not discriminate during the term of this contract against a firearm entity or firearm trade association. For purposes of this contract, “discriminate against a firearm entity or firearm trade association” shall mean, with respect to the entity or association, to: “
(1) refuse to engage in the trade of any goods or services with the entity or association based solely on its status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association; (2) refrain from continuing an existing business relationship with the entity or association based solely on its status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association; or (3) terminate an existing business relationship with the entity or association based solely on its status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association. See Tex. Gov’t Code § 2274.001(3) of SB 19. “Discrimination against a firearm entity or firearm trade association” does not include: “
(1) the established policies of a merchant, retail seller, or platform that restrict or prohibit the listing or selling of ammunition, firearms, or firearm accessories; and (2) a company’s refusal to engage in the trade of any goods or services, decision to refrain from continuing an existing business relationship, or decision to terminate an existing business relationship to comply with federal, state, or local law, policy, or regulations or a directive by a regulatory agency, or for any traditional business reason that is specific to the customer or potential customer and not based solely on an entity’s or association’s status as a firearm entity or firearm trade association.” See Tex. Gov’t Code § 2274.001(3) of SB 19.
Single Purpose Entity/Separateness Borrower represents, warrants and covenants as follows:
(a) Borrower has not and will not:
(i) engage in any business or activity other than the ownership, operation and maintenance of the Properties, and activities incidental thereto;
(ii) acquire or own any assets other than (A) the Properties, and (B) such incidental Personal Property as may be necessary for the ownership and operation of the Properties;
(iii) merge into or consolidate with any Person, or dissolve, terminate, liquidate in whole or in part, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets or change its legal structure;
(iv) (A) fail to observe all organizational formalities necessary to maintain its separate existence, or fail to preserve its existence as an entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing (if applicable) under the applicable Legal Requirements of the jurisdiction of its organization or formation, or (B) amend, modify, terminate or fail to comply with the single purpose entity provisions of its organizational documents, in each case without the prior written consent of Lender;
(v) own any subsidiary, or make any investment in, any Person;
(vi) except as contemplated by the Loan Documents with respect to co-borrowers under the Loan and prior loans that have been satisfied in full as of the date hereof, commingle its assets with the assets of any other Person, or permit any Affiliate or constituent party independent access to its bank accounts;
(vii) incur any debt, secured or unsecured, direct or contingent (including guaranteeing any obligation (other than certain obligations of Operating Lessee or a predecessor operating lessee)), other than the Debt and Permitted Debt and prior loans that have been satisfied in full as of the date hereof;
(viii) fail to maintain its records, books of account, bank accounts, financial statements, accounting records and other entity documents separate and apart from those of any other Person; except that Borrower’s financial position, assets, liabilities, net worth and operating results may be included in the consolidated financial statements of an Affiliate, provided that (A) appropriate notation shall be made on such consolidated financial statements to indicate the separate identity of Borrower from such Affiliate and that Borrower’s assets and credit are not available to satisfy the debts and other obligations of such Affiliate or any other Person, and (B) Borrower’s assets, liabilities and net worth shall also be listed on Borrower’s own separate balance sheet;
(ix) except for capital contributions or capital distributions permitted under the terms and conditions of Borrower’s organizational documents and properly reflected on its books and records, enter into any transaction, contract or agreement with any general partner, member, shareholder, principal, guarantor of the obligations of Borrower, or any Affiliate of the foregoing, except upon terms and conditions that are intrinsically fair, commercially reasonable and substantially similar to those that would be available on an arm’s-length basis with unaffiliated third parties;
(x) maintain its assets in such a manner that it will be costly or difficult to segregate, ascertain or identify its individual assets from those of any other Person;
(xi) except as contemplated by the Loan Documents with respect to co-borrowers under the Loan and prior loans that have been satisfied in full as of the date hereof and certain obligations of Operating Lessee (or a predecessor operating lessee) thereunder, assume or guaranty the debts of any other Person, hold itself out to be responsible for the debts of any other Person, or otherwise pledge its assets to secure the obligations of any other Person or hold out its credit or assets as being available to satisfy the obligations of any other Person;
(xii) make any loans or advances to any Person, or own any stock or securities of, any Person, or buy or hold evidence of indebtedness issued by any other Person;
(xiii) fail to (A) file its own tax returns separate from those of any other Person, except to the extent that Borrower is treated as a “disregarded entity” for tax purposes and is not required to file tax returns under applicable Legal Requirements and (B) pay any taxes required to be paid under applicable Legal Requirements; provided, however, that Borrower shall not have any obligation to reimburse its equityholders or their Affiliates for any taxes that such equityholders or their Affiliates may incur as a result of any profits or losses of Borrower;
(xiv) fail to (A) hold itself out to the public as a legal entity separate and distinct from any other Person, (B) conduct its business solely in its own name or (C) correct any known misunderstanding regarding its separate identity;
(xv) fail to intend to maintain adequate capital for the normal obligations reasonably foreseeable in a business of its size and character and in light of its contemplated business operations; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not require Borrower’s members, partners or shareholders to make additional capital contributions to Borrower;
(xvi) without the unanimous written consent of all of its partners or members, as applicable, and the written consent of all directors or managers of Borrower or each SPE Component Entity, as applicable including, without limitation, each Independent Director, take any Material Action or action that is intended to cause such entity to become insolvent;
(xvii) fail to fairly and reasonably allocate shared expenses (including, without limitation, shared office space and services performed by an employee of an Affiliate) among the Persons sharing such expenses;
(xviii) fail to intend to remain solvent or, except as contemplated by the Loan Documents with respect to co-borrowers under the Loan, pay its own liabilities (including, without limitation, salaries of its own employees) only from its own funds; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not require Borrower’s members, partners or shareholders to make additional capital contributions to Borrower;
(xix) acquire obligations or securities of its partners, members, shareholders or other affiliates, as applicable;
(xx) violate or cause to be violated the assumptions made with respect to Borrower and its principals in the Non-Consolidation Opinion or any New Non-Consolidation Opinion;
(xxi) fail to maintain a sufficient number of employees in light of its contemplated business operations;
(xxii) fail to maintain and use separate stationery, invoices and checks bearing its own name;
(xxiii) have any of its obligations guaranteed by an Affiliate, except (x) as contemplated by the Loan Documents and prior loans that have been satisfied in full as of the date hereof and (y) with respect to co-borrowers under the Loan or guarantees relating to obligations under the Management Agreements or Franchise Agreements; or
(xxiv) identify itself as a department or division of any other Person.
(i) If Borrower is a partnership or limited liability company (other than a single-member Delaware limited liability company formed under the Act which complies with the requirements of subsection (b)(ii) below) (an “Acceptable DE LLC”), each general partner in the case of a partnership, or the managing member in the case of a limited liability company (each an “SPE Component Entity”) of Borrower, as applicable, shall be an Acceptable DE LLC. Each SPE Component Entity (A) will at all times comply with each of the covenants, terms and provisions contained in Sections 6.1(a)(iii) through (vi) and (viii) through (xxiv) inclusive, as if such representation, warranty or covenant was made directly by such SPE Component Entity; (B) will not engage in any business or activity other than owning an interest in Borrower; (C) will not acquire or own any assets other than its partnership, membership, or other equity interest in Borrower; (D) will not own any subsidiary, or make any investment in any Person other than its investment in Borrower; (E) will not incur any debt, secured or unsecured, direct or contingent (including guaranteeing any obligation); and (F) will cause Borrower to comply with the provisions of this Section 6.1 and Section 6.4. Prior to the withdrawal or the disassociation of any SPE Component Entity from Borrower, Borrower shall immediately appoint a new general partner or managing member whose limited liability company agreement is substantially similar to that of such SPE Component Entity and, if an opinion letter pertaining to substantive consolidation was required at closing, deliver a new opinion letter acceptable to Lender and the Rating Agencies with respect to the new SPE Component Entity and its equity owners. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent Borrower is an Acceptable DE LLC, so long as Borrower maintains such formation status and complies with the requirements set forth in subsection (b)(ii) below, the SPE Component Entity requirement as set forth in this section shall not be applicable. Furthermore, in no event shall Borrower or any SPE Component Entity be a corporation unless such corporation has a shareholder that is an Acceptable DE LLC that complies with Section 6.4 hereof and no Material Action may be taken with respect to such corporation without the vote of such Acceptable DE LLC and its Independent Directors.
(ii) In the event Borrower or SPE Component Entity is an Acceptable DE LLC (as referred to in this clause (ii), the “Company”), the limited liability company agreement of the Company (the “LLC Agreement”) shall provide that (A) upon the occurrence of any event that causes the sole member of the Company (“Member”) to cease to be the member of the Company (other than (1) upon an assignment by Member of all of its limited liability company interest in the Company and the admission of the transferee in accordance with the Loan Documents and the LLC Agreement, or (2) the resignation of Member and the admission of an additional member of the Company in accordance with the terms of the Loan Documents and the LLC Agreement), the personal representative of Member shall, within ninety (90) days, agree in writing to continue the existence of the Company and to the admission of such personal representative or its nominee or designee, as the case may be, as a substitute member of the Company, effective as of the occurrence of the event that caused the Member to cease to be a member of the Company, and a natural person duly designated under the LLC Agreement any person acting as Independent Director of the Company and executing the LLC Agreement (“Special Member”) shall, without any action of any other Person and simultaneously with the Member ceasing to be the member of the Company, automatically be admitted to the Company and shall continue the existence of the Company without dissolution, and (B) Special Member may not resign from the Company or transfer its rights as Special Member unless (1) a successor Special Member has been admitted to the Company as Special Member in accordance with the requirements of the Act and (2) after giving effect to such resignation, such successor Special Member has also accepted its appointment as an Independent Director. The LLC Agreement shall further provide that (v) Special Member shall automatically cease to be a member of the Company upon the admission to the Company of a substitute Member, (w) Special Member shall be a member of the Company that has no interest in the profits, losses and capital of the Company and has no right to receive any distributions of the assets of the Company, (x) pursuant to Section 18-301 of the Act, Special Member shall not be required to make any capital contributions to the Company and shall not receive a limited liability company interest in the Company, (y) Special Member, in its capacity as Special Member, may not bind the Company, and (z) except as required by any mandatory provision of the Act, Special Member, in its capacity as Special Member, shall have no right to vote on, approve or otherwise consent to any action by, or matter relating to, the Company, including, without limitation, the merger, consolidation or conversion of the Company; provided, however, such prohibition shall not limit the obligations of Special Member, in its capacity as Independent Director, to vote on such matters required by the Loan Documents or the LLC Agreement. Prior to its admission to the Company as Special Member, Special Member shall not be a member of the Company, but the Special Member may serve as an Independent Director of the Company. Any action initiated by or brought against Member or Special Member under any Creditors Rights Laws shall not cause Member or Special Member to cease to be a member of the Company and upon the occurrence of such an event, the existence of the Company shall continue without dissolution. The LLC Agreement shall also provide that each of Member and Special Member waives any right it might have to agree in writing to dissolve the Company upon the occurrence of any action initiated by or brought against Member or Special Member under any Creditors Rights Laws, or the occurrence of an event that causes Member or Special Member to cease to be a member of the Company.
(c) The organizational documents of Borrower and each SPE Component Entity shall provide an express acknowledgment that Lender is an intended third-party beneficiary of the “special purpose” provisions of such organizational documents.
(d) Borrower has executed and delivered to Lender the certificate attached hereto as Exhibit D.
