MUSKEGON – State Representatives Mary Valentine (D-Norton Shores) and Doug Bennett (D-Muskegon) held a town hall meeting Thursday to share information about "Hire Michigan First," an aggressive House plan to immediately create jobs and ensure that tax dollars used to attract businesses to Michigan benefit our working families – not out-of-state or illegal workers.
"While we can't control national economic policies or the global economy, we can – and must – control what happens with our state tax dollars," Valentine said. "We must do everything in our power to support the families and workers that drive our economy forward. 'Hire Michigan First' ensures that when our tax dollars create jobs, our residents – not out-of-state or illegal workers – get first crack at those jobs."
The Hire Michigan First plan will:
-Reward companies that hire more Michigan workers with tax breaks and other economic development tools.
-Require companies that accept contracts to build state buildings to hire only Michigan workers, increasing the current requirement of 50 percent to 100 percent.
-Require companies that accept economic development incentives to report on who they hire to ensure that Michigan residents are put first, encouraging transparency and accountability.
-Crack down on companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers by canceling their state contracts and tax incentives, requiring them to pay back incentives already received and barring them from future contracts.
"It simply does not make sense for taxpayer dollars to go toward creating jobs for workers from other states, or other countries," Bennett said. "Our workers are the most dedicated, hardworking employees anywhere. My colleagues and I are committed to providing our local workers with as many employment opportunities as possible, and 'Hire Michigan First' is a plan that does that."
Valentine and Bennett also encouraged residents to visit a new Web site, www.hiremichfirst.com, to sign an online petition urging the Legislature to take quick bipartisan action to pass the "Hire Michigan First" plan.