LANSING – State Representative Robert Jones (D-Kalamazoo) on Thursday voted to pass the "Hire Michigan First" plan, which rewards companies that employ 100 percent Michigan workers with state economic development incentives. The aggressive job-creation plan also cracks down on companies that hire undocumented workers by creating penalties that include requiring them to pay back their state incentives and barring them from future state contracts. This twelve bill package was approved by the House Commerce Committee, which Jones chairs, last month.
The "Hire Michigan First" plan:
- Rewards companies that hire the most Michigan residents in the pursuit of state tax breaks and other economic development incentives. This rule would apply to projects handled by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and certain state-funded programs, including the Michigan Economic Growth Authority and the Renaissance Zone Act.
- Encourages transparency and accountability by requiring companies that accept incentives to report on who they hire to ensure that Michigan residents are put first.
- 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.
"When companies cut costs and hire undocumented workers, businesses that play by the rules are at a major disadvantage," Jones said. "There are plenty of skilled workers in Michigan who are ready, willing and able to do these jobs, and they should be first in line for jobs that are created with their tax dollars. We need to protect every job in Michigan, and I urge the Senate to support our working families by quickly passing this plan."