CASS CITY – State Representatives John Espinoza (D-Croswell) and Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) and will hold a town hall meeting on Friday, May 16, 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.
"For far too long, Michigan has struggled under the highest unemployment rate in the country, even while good people with years of experience and expertise can't find jobs," Espinoza said. "The 'Hire Michigan First' plan rewards businesses that invest in our communities and helps put Michigan back to work, which is what our Legislature must focus on right now."
The town hall meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 16, at Cass City High School, 4868 N.
Seeger St. Representatives of the building and construction trades will join Brown and Espinoza to discuss
the plan and answer questions. Everyone is welcome to attend.
The comprehensive 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; Brown is sponsoring this part of the plan.
- 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.
"Our working families are hurting during these tough economic times, and we must fight for every single Michigan job," Brown said. "While we can't control the global economy or harmful federal policies, we can – and must – control who benefits from state tax breaks and state contracts. Michigan tax dollars should not go to companies that hire people from other states or people who are here illegally from other countries."
Espinoza 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.