Whitmer takes a victory lap, highlights financial growth plans at Mackinac Convention

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer highlighted her latest coverage victories whereas working with a Democratic-majority Legislature, alongside together with her new plans for financial growth throughout her keynote speech on the annual Mackinac Coverage Convention. 

Whitmer, who received reelection by greater than 10 factors final yr, mentioned her newly introduced “Rising Michigan Collectively Council” and highlighted earlier coverage victories, together with increasing the earned-income tax credit score, repealing the state’s 1931 abortion ban, signing anti gun violence laws and increasing the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to incorporate LGBTQ+ folks. 

“It’s the suitable factor to do and it’s simply good economics,” Whitmer stated. “Nearly all of us know that bigotry is dangerous for enterprise.”

All through the convention Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist have outlined their imaginative and prescient to develop Michigan’s economic system, together with efforts to leverage federal funds to help Michigan’s tech and power industries whereas persevering with placemaking efforts to draw companies, households and expertise to the state.

“Whereas some states wage struggle with Mickey Mouse or demean battery tasks, we in Michigan will go wherever and compete with anybody to convey jobs and companies dwelling,” Whitmer stated in an obvious dig towards GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s working for president.

Whitmer recounted her newly introduced actions from earlier within the conferences together with her “Make it in Michigan” financial growth plan. The plan proposes new instruments for financial growth, together with working to transform brownfields and deserted property into areas for funding and can create a fund aimed toward leveraging federal {dollars} to help manufacturing and clear power efforts.

The governor additionally signed an government directive creating the “Rising Michigan Collectively” Council, a bipartisan panel aimed toward creating methods to draw and retain expertise, enhance training, and replace transportation and water infrastructure. 

The council may have 28 members, 21 voting and seven non-voting. Alongside its bipartisan co-chairs, voting board membership will embody two members from the state Home, two members from the state Senate, the director of the Division of Labor and Financial Alternative or its designee, and members appointed by the governor to symbolize the personal sector, labor, workforce growth and expertise, infrastructure, nonprofit or philanthropy, and training, with one member below 25 years previous.

The state funds director, state treasurer, director of the Michigan Division of Transportation, the chief government and financial competitiveness officer of the Michigan Financial Improvement Corp. (MEDC), the manager director of the Workplace of International Michigan or their designees will make up the board’s non-voting members, alongside one particular person with a background in economics, and one particular person with a background in demography appointed by the governor. 

Home Minority Chief Matt Corridor (R-Richland Twp.) referred to as the fee a “heavily-skewed, partisan fee” and a “Computer virus for brand new taxes” in an announcement launched after the governor’s announcement. 

“After 4 years of failure, the governor has no plan to maintain younger folks in Michigan, no excuse for our crumbling roads, and no imaginative and prescient to enhance childhood studying ranges. She’s doing what each politician does after they haven’t any actual plan — create a fee and kick the can down the street,” Corridor stated. 

Corridor referred to as the governor’s fee a downgrade from a beforehand proposed fee from one of many new committee’s co-chairs, John Rakolta. Corridor stated the fee beforehand really useful by Rakolta would have been really bipartisan, with members appointed collectively by the governor and Republican legislative leaders. The present Legislature is managed by Democrats.

“Gov. Whitmer simply needs to boost taxes and throw more cash on the drawback. This panel of insiders and large spenders will give her political cowl to just do that as a substitute of compromising or just proudly owning her personal concepts,” Corridor stated.

Alongside Corridor’s criticisms, state Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia), a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, launched an announcement asserting her personal fee to analyze Whitmer’s fee. 

“This appears to be the factor to do in Lansing when confronted with a severe problem,” Rigas stated. “I noticed via latest bulletins that creating commissions is far less complicated than truly fixing issues.”