IONIA – State Representatives Mike "Huck" Huckleberry (D-Greenville) and Roy Schmidt (D-Grand Rapids) today touted 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.
"Rewarding companies that hire Michigan workers will help fight the outsourcing that is destroying our middle class," said Huckleberry, who sponsored a bill in the package. "With unemployment surpassing 10 percent in Michigan, we have to do everything we can to protect workers and get more residents back on the job. Making sure that our tax dollars create jobs for our own residents is one step we can and must take now."
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.
The House expects to pass the "Hire Michigan First" legislation and send it to the Senate as soon as this week.
"Our working families are hurting now and they need action," Schmidt said. "We need to be spending taxpayer dollars to create jobs for Michigan workers – not jobs for workers from other states or even other countries. This plan will help support our middle class and ensure companies can no longer turn their backs on Michigan workers."