LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – House Republicans are preparing to introduce over a dozen bills that they said will meet goals laid out in Michigan’s population growth report. The lawmakers have rolled out a plan they’re calling ‘Growing Local Economies’. Their goal is to address low wages, state population, and regulations by creating policies they believe will help Michigan businesses.
Minority floor leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) said Michigan needs more of a focus on growing the existing companies in the state. He explained that they set out to fill what he called gaps in Governor Whitmer’s ‘Growing Michigan Together’ plan.
The Republican’s plan is supposed to include over a dozen bills from different Representatives, including one U.P. Representative, Dave Prestin (R-Rapid River). He said his bill aims to lift the regulatory burdens on small business owners.
“I just think at the end of the day we’re a little upside down when it comes to our priorities,” Prestin said. “Especially to the people that have invested in the state and are trying to make a go of it in the state and can really use some help from the state.”
Prestin said that as a former owner of a small business, the abundance of regulations and lack of assistance to meet the necessary standards played a huge role in his decision to ultimately sell the Cedar River Plaza.
Governor Whitmer established the Growing Michigan Together Council last year, intending to assist in attracting and retaining talent in the state. Whitmer called it a ‘bold, coordinated economic growth plan’ but the group of House Republicans said it focuses too much on large, out-of-state corporations, and that the state needs a comprehensive, accountable plan to deliver economic access that people will feel and see.
Other parts of the growing local economies plan would reinstate ‘right to work’ laws and introduce audit systems to determine if new job training and placement programs are working effectively. Representative Nancy Deboer (R-Holland) explained that under the proposed legislation the performance of workplace programs would be reported to the State Budget Office as well as the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for review to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent on programs that have been proven to be useful.
Hall said they also hope to lower income taxes and create more accountability when it comes to the use of strategic outreach and attraction reserve funds with the bills he said will begin to hit the House floor as early as next week.
