LANSING – One year after unveiling an aggressive plan to create more jobs by rewarding companies that hire Michigan workers, State Representative Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) today called on the Senate to pass the "Hire Michigan First" plan that has been held up in that chamber for three months.
"So many folks in our communities need jobs right now that we have to move forward quickly on smart solutions like the Hire Michigan First plan," Brown said. "We cannot allow our tax dollars to be spent to create jobs for people from other states or even illegal immigrants. Passing the Hire Michigan First plan will make sure that we're creating jobs for our own hard-working residents and will get more of our struggling workers back on the job right now."
Brown sponsored a key part of the "Hire Michigan First" plan that was unveiled on Aug. 13, 2007, in a move to create more jobs for Michigan workers. The House passed the plan in May and it is now sitting in the Senate. Michigan currently has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 8.5 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Thumb has been especially hard hit by the loss of jobs.
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.
- Crack down on companies that hire illegal immigrants by canceling their state contracts and tax incentives. The plan would also require them to pay back incentives they already received and bar them from future contracts.
- Require companies that accept contracts to build state buildings to hire only Michigan workers, up from the current requirement of 50 percent.
- Require companies that take economic development incentives to report on who they hire to ensure that Michigan residents are put first.
"When our tax dollars are used to create jobs, our residents must get first crack at those jobs," Brown said. "Investing in jobs that can't be outsourced will help turn our economy around, and there is nothing that matters more right now. I urge Senate leaders to act immediately and put this plan into effect for the sake of our working families."