LANSING – One year after unveiling a bold plan to create more jobs by rewarding companies that hire Michigan workers, State Representative Mary Valentine (D-Norton Shores) today called on the Senate to pass the "Hire Michigan First" plan that has been held up in that chamber for three months.
"Michigan's working families are facing increasingly difficult times and have been hit hard by downsizing and outsourcing," Valentine said. "We need to get our residents back on the job and the Hire Michigan First plan will help do that. There is no reason to let this important plan sit and gather dust in the Senate when we can bring real relief to our working families who are struggling to make ends meet."
Valentine unveiled the "Hire Michigan First" plan on Aug. 13, 2007, in an effort to create more jobs for Michigan workers. Michigan currently has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 8.5 percent, according the U.S. Department of Labor.
The "Hire Michigan First" plan will:
- Give preference for tax breaks and other economic development tools to companies that hire the most Michigan residents. This rule would apply to projects handled by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and certain state-funded programs, including the Michigan Economic Growth Authority, the Renaissance Zone Act and several others.
- Encourage transparency and accountability by requiring companies that take economic development incentives to report on who they hire to ensure that Michigan residents are put first.
- Crack down on companies that hire illegal workers by canceling their state contracts and tax incentives. The plan would also require them to pay back incentives already received and bar them from future contracts.
"We must do everything in our power to bring jobs to Michigan, and support the families and workers that drive our economy," Valentine said. "Hire Michigan First is a plan that will invest in our workers and help get Michigan back on track. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to put our working families first and send this vital program to be signed into law."