Democratic leader also urges GOP to move on Hire Michigan First bills

Senate Minority Leader Mike Prusi, D-Ishpeming, was just one person battling Republicans to help those unable to find a job in the Bush recession continue to receive unemployment benefits, and the persistence paid off on Wednesday when the U.S. Senate a approved a six-month extension of unemployment benefits after weeks of Republican obstructionism.

Prusi introduced Senate Resolution 172 on July 1 urging U.S. Senate Republicans to put partisanship aside and lift their filibuster on a bill that will allow a six-month extension of unemployment benefits and Medicaid funding, but Michigan Senate Republicans even refused to allow a vote on the resolution and promptly went on a two week vacation.

“I am glad to see that two Republicans in the U.S. Senate finally allowed a vote on an extension of unemployment benefits and that it passed last night,” Prusi said. “I called on them to do so weeks ago, and it’s just a shame that more than 100,000 unemployed Michigan residents had to struggle to get by with their lifeline cut for three weeks while the Republicans played games and took vacations.”

While Senate Republicans enjoyed their vacation, 114,000 Michigan residents had their unemployment benefits run out. These workers, along with almost 300,000 additional unemployed Michigan workers, will have their benefits extended thanks to Congress’ action last night.

“Unfortunately, it isn’t much different in the State Senate, where Mike Bishop and the Senate Republicans continue to do nothing for Michigan ’s economy and our unemployed workers,” Prusi said. “We have legislation before the State Senate that would hire Michigan workers first on state-funded projects and secure $138.9 million in federal funding to extend unemployment benefits for workers in retraining programs. The Senate Republicans in Lansing need to stop obstructing our efforts to help Michigan workers.

GOP staffer may be in trouble for telling the truth

LANSING -- Another Michigan Senate GOP staffer may be in danger of losing their job for daring to tell the truth.

Last week Senate Republicans finally moved the package of bills known as the Hire Michigan First legislation, but they stripped the teeth out of the bills like they did the foreclosure bills. A GOP analyst for the Senate produced an analysis of the bills, according to subscription only MIRS, that said the package "won't have much real impact," but will get the Senate Democrats off their backs on an issue that could play poorly politically if left to fester.“ In other words, instead of trying to help Michigan’s economy they did it for purely political reasons.

According to MIRS, the spokesman for the Senate Republican Caucus said the document was the analysis of one person from the policy staff. The analysis was produced at the request of Senators, and the document by analyst Jamie Clover Adams represents the individual personal policy view of the analyst.

You will recall last month Senate Republican consultant Dennis Darnoi wrote a white paper that looked at why Republicans have lost in the last couple of elections, and it said they cannot expect a backlash against the party in control to win in 2010. A couple of weeks later, the services of Mr. Darnoi - the former Chief of Staff for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop - were no longer required.

I hope Ms. Adams has her resume updated.

The 19-bill Hire Michigan First package was approved by the House in March, but Senate Republicans resisted efforts to pass the package.

The bills simply say a company that gets tax breaks and money from Michigan tax payers must hire Michigan workers when ever possible. The version the House Democrats passed rewards companies that employ 100 percent Michigan workers with state economic development incentives. The 12-bill package also encourages transparency and accountability by requiring companies that accept incentives to report on who they hire to ensure that Michigan residents are put first. The package also 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.

“It’s not enough to just see products that say, 'Made in Michigan,’ we want our products, buildings and bridges to be made by Michigan,“ said Sen. Glenn Anderson, D-Westland, a lead sponsor of the Senate package. “That’s why I fought for this issue every chance I got, and it’s why I will continue to push for the elements of this plan that weren’t included in today’s vote.”

Senate Democrats also tried to correct loopholes in the bills inserted by Republicans that will make it easier for companies to not hire Michigan workers. Additionally, three bills in the package have yet to see any Senate action:

Senate Bill 289, a bill that would change the current law requiring vendors who contract with the state to hire not less than 50 percent of Michigan residents to 100 percent of Michigan residents.

Senate Bill 288, a bill that would allow Michigan to cancel a contract or stop payment under a contract to a vendor who knowingly hires illegal aliens or who knowingly violates Michigan's Prevailing Wage Law.

This one makes no sense to me. Conservatives rail against the individual illegal immigrant crossing the border just to earn more money than he can’t earn in his own country, but they continue to refuse to hold the company responsible that hires them illegally, and creates the demand and makes huge profits accountable.

Senate Bill 291, a bill that requires vendors under state contract to report on the number of new jobs created under the contract and the number of Michigan residents hired on that project.

“You have weakened the provisions that protect the wages and the jobs here in Michigan,” said Senate Democratic Leader Mike Prusi, D- Ishpeming. “We have had a long tradition here in Michigan of fairness as it applies to jobs and the wages that are paid on these jobs when they are jobs under state contracts.”

Senate Republicans again put partisan politics above meaningful legislation

The only thing that really concerns Michigan Senate Republicans is maintaining their slim majority in order to block meaningful legislation, and the move by Mike Bishop to form a so-called “Auto Industry Action Team” confirms that.

He assigned five Senators to the “workgroup,” and all are Republicans. If you need any further proof that this is just one more Bishop publicity stunt just look at who he assigned to the group.

Besides himself, he assigned Senators Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, extremist right-winger Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, Jason Allen, R-Traverse City and Bill Hardiman, R-Kentwood.

None of these people have an ounce of experience in the auto industry, and Senate Republicans have continuously voted against workers and the middle class in favor of CEOs. They have also voted against the Hire Michigan First package of bills, and Richardville has proven to be a shill for the banking industry that helped plunge the country into the worst national recession since the Great Depression. Bishop’s number one concern is his campaign for Michigan Attorney General.

Two Democrats who have actually worked in the auto industry, Sen. Glenn Anderson and Ray Basham, were not asked simply because they are Democrats.

In the crisis the state and nation are facing, Bishop should put the good of the state above partisan politics.

Senate Republicans vote against Michigan workers

LANSING -- Senate Republicans voted against hiring Michigan workers Wednesday when they refused to consider the package of bills known as the “Hire Michigan First” package.

Last month the House Democrats passed the "Hire Michigan First" plan, which rewards companies that employ 100 percent Michigan workers with state economic development incentives. The 12-bill package also encourages transparency and accountability by requiring companies that accept incentives to report on who they hire to ensure that Michigan residents are put first. The package also 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.

Senate Republicans had refused to take up the bills, so Senate Democrats moved to discharge House Bills 4083-4093 from the Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism where they were sent when they were approved by the House on March 12. The motion was defeated Wednesday along party lines.

“With unemployment around 12 percent, it is imperative that we do everything in our power to make sure that Michigan residents can get good jobs,” said Sen. Glenn Anderson,” D-Westland. “That includes making sure that these hardworking men and women can count on companies that receive state funding and incentives to hire them first.”

Under the common sense Hire Michigan First program, a company that gets tax breaks and money from Michigan tax payers must hire Michigan workers when possible.

“After getting millions in tax breaks from Michigan taxpayers, a Colorado-based company working in Battle Creek shipped workers in instead of people right here who needed work, “ Anderson said. “The company working in an ethanol plant in Marysville shipped in workers from all over Texas to do the work.”

The chair of the Commerce and Tourism Committee gave the lame excuse for voting against the bills that they were only approved two weeks ago and sent to the Senate. But he has not held a single hearing on the bills. People are losing jobs everyday, but he can’t find the time to hold a hearing? That’s lame.

Because the Senate is the deliberative body, bills are routinely discharged directly to the Senate floor. The Legislature goes on a two-week break after Thursday‘s session, but the Senate Republicans still refused to even consider the bills.

Federal stimulus funds will be used for Michigan infrastructure projects to create Michigan jobs, and Sen. Mike Prusi, D-Ishpeming, said Michigan residents should do the work in order to create jobs in the state.

“It only makes sense that these jobs created to rebuild our state are filled with Michigan workers, and leaving these bills to sit in committee while we go on break, breaks the faith with the people who we represent, “ Prusi said. “We are here to represent their best interests.”