MONROE – State Representative Kate Ebli (D-Monroe) held a town hall meeting Monday 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 the global economy or harmful federal policies, we can – and must – control who benefits from state tax breaks and state contracts," Ebli said. "Hire Michigan First ensures what when our tax dollars create jobs, our residents get first crack at those jobs. Michigan tax dollars should not go to companies that hire people from other states or people who are here illegally from other countries."
The Hire Michigan First plan will:
Require companies accept state tax breaks and other economic development tools to hire Michigan workers first.
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 hard 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.
"Kate Ebli continues to work hard every day to bring good jobs with good pay and benefits to Monroe County and the state of Michigan," said Ron Sweat of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 671. "Kate is in touch with the needs of our community. That's the kind of leadership we need here in Monroe County."
Ebli 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.