Thread: 'Hire Michigan First' invests in working families

Published September 9, 2007

'Hire Michigan First' invests in working families

It seems you can't watch the news or read the paper without hearing more gloom and doom about Michigan's economic future. That's why I'm pleased to announce some good news: The Hire Michigan First plan, an aggressive job-creation program that will award economic development funding first to companies that hire 100 percent of their employees from Michigan.

The Hire Michigan First plan gives companies that hire 100 percent Michigan workers priority in the awarding of tax breaks and other economic development tools. This rule would apply to projects handled by the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and certain state-funded programs, including the Strategic Fund Act, Transportation Economic Development Fund, Brownfield Redevelopment Financing Act and the 21st Century Jobs Fund.

It requires businesses with contracts for construction of state buildings to hire 100 percent of their workers from Michigan, strengthening the current requirement of 50 percent. It also cracks down on companies that hire illegal immigrant workers by canceling their state contracts and tax incentives. The plan requires them to pay back incentives already received and bars them from future contracts.

Companies that bring in workers from other states and countries hurt the qualified, experienced workers we have in our state. When companies benefit from significant tax breaks, our workers should be the ones on the job.

Since 2000, our state has lost more than 240,000 manufacturing jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That number only stands to get worse unless we take action, and that's what the Hire Michigan First plan is all about. By investing in our own, we are investing in Michigan.

Mike Simpson represents the 65th District, which includes the city of Eaton Rapids and Hamlin and Brookfield Townships. He can be reached at (517) 373-1775.

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YEP. THIS CAN DEFINITELY WORK. DEFINITELY.

Thousands of Americans have no jobs here in Texas. Yet if you drive by any road or housing construction look at who is working. It AIN'T Texans.

Originally Posted by redpony353

YEP. THIS CAN DEFINITELY WORK. DEFINITELY.

Perhaps it will also withstand constitutional muster. Many state governments' hiring practices require preference to veterans. I don't know if that would be a good analogy, but a case could be made that the residents of a state contribute to the tax base and should therefore be treated preferentially

Michigan isn't the only state hurting but thanks to companies like gm moving jobs to Mexico, they are in some serious trouble.

Most of our manufacturing base is gone. What companies are going to move to Michigan. The high tech jobs are being outsourced or in sourced with H1B Visas.