'Hire Michigan First'
Brown says plan to reward businesses that hire Michigan residents, cracks down on using tax dollars to give jobs to illegal immigrants will pass soon
LANSING – State Representative Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) today announced that the State House is expected to quickly pass an aggressive job-creation plan that rewards companies that employ 100 percent Michigan workers with state economic development incentives. The "Hire Michigan First" initiative also cracks down on companies that hire undocumented workers by creating penalties that include requiring them to pay back their state incentives and barring them from future state contracts.
"Our workers are among the best in the country, and they should be first in line for every job opportunity our state creates," Brown said. "While we cannot control every economic problem affecting our state, we can – and must – make sure that when taxpayer dollars create jobs, Michigan's working families are the ones who benefit. This plan will help fight outsourcing and our rising unemployment rate by ensuring that state-funded jobs go to our workers, not people from other states or even other countries."
The "Hire Michigan First" plan:
- Awards state tax breaks and other economic development incentives 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 and the Renaissance Zone Act.
- Encourages transparency and accountability by requiring companies that accept incentives to report on who they hire to ensure that Michigan residents are put first.
- Cracks down on companies that hire undocumented workers by creating penalties that include requiring them to pay back their tax incentives and barring them from future state contracts.
Brown and his House colleagues expect to pass "Hire Michigan First" legislation and send it to the Senate as soon as this week.
"We cannot allow companies that take state tax incentives to pass over our highly skilled and well-qualified workers," Brown said. "We have to fight to create and keep every single job in this tough economy, and 'Hire Michigan First' is part of that. I hope we'll see fast and strong bipartisan support in the Senate in order to help our workers get back on the job and back on their feet."