ENews March 14-18, 2005

ENews March 14-18, 2005

Dear Friends:

I want to again thank you for your continued interest in the news of my administration. Because so much is happening every day here at the Capitol, I am stepping up my communication efforts and will be sending weekly updates on the major initiatives and legislation that affect the lives of Michigan citizens.

MI Opportunity Partnership

Just last week, I called on the 75-member Michigan Council for Labor and Economic Growth (CLEG) to play a key role in helping match unemployed workers with jobs through the MI Opportunity Partnership that was unveiled during my 2005 State of the State address. CLEG is composed of key leaders from business, labor, community colleges, universities, community-based organizations, local workforce boards, the K-12 educational community and government.

We have thousands of Michiganians looking for work and nearly 90,000 job vacancies. That is why we are deploying the MI Opportunity Partnership to conduct immediate, rapid-response training to quickly and comprehensively train and place out-of-work citizens to fill openings that employers have today -- particularly in the health care and skilled trades fields.

Our goals are: 1) to place 30,000 unemployed workers into jobs by the end of 2005; 2) to contact 35,000 employers to identify job openings; and 3) to conduct pilot programs at four Regional Skills Alliances (RSAs) to provide accelerated training for jobs in health care and in the skilled trades. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-23442-112020--,00.html.

Single Business Tax Plan

Also last week, I formally introduced legislation to restructure the Single Business Tax (SBT) in Michigan. This change will ensure that Michigan's business tax structure encourages job providers to keep jobs here now and to grow them in the future. It will help small business grow and encourage the kinds of research and development growth our economy needs in the future. The Michigan Jobs and Investment Act is supported by a variety of business, labor, civic and community organizations including the Michigan Manufacturers Association, Steelcase, US Steel, the Big 3 automakers, the UAW, Michigan AFL-CIO, the Michigan Municipal League and the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM). Senators Buzz Thomas (D) of Detroit and Gilda Jacobs (D) of Huntington Woods, and Representatives Paul Condino (D) of Southfield and Andy Meisner (D) of Ferndale sponsored this critical legislation.

The proposed restructure is revenue neutral with no further negative impacts on Michigan's state budget. The new structure offers a rate cut to 77 percent of business tax payers. For more information about the Michigan Jobs and Investment Act, visit www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168--112210--,00.html.

Insurance Accountability

This week the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) raised rates for automobile insurance. Unfortunately, because the MCCA is a statutorily established private association, it isn't subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or the Open Meetings Act (OMA) laws. There is also no public member on the current board who can represent the interests of the millions of insurance rate payers -- so the public has no input into how these rates are set.

I asked the Legislature to inject accountability into the operations of the MCCA by supporting efforts to provide for public access to MCCA meetings and operations. Currently, this private association which is run by a small group of insurance executives meets behind closed doors to determine how much Michigan drivers pay for automobile insurance. I believe firmly that the public needs to have a say in this process as Michigan drivers are paying the tab and have the right to hold MCCA accountable and to know how their rates are being set.

Senate Bills 152 and 153, introduced with bi-partisan support by Sen. Mark Schauer, and House Bills 4140 and 4141, introduced by Rep. Lee Gonzalez, would add a member of the general public to the MCCA board. The bills would also require that the MCCA be included under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Open Meetings Act (OMA). House Bill 4112, introduced by Rep. Glenn Anderson, will increase the MCCA board to nine members, including three members of the general public. Rep. Michael Sak is expected to introduce similar legislation. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168--113003--,00.html.

http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-23442_29159-113429--,00.html