LANSING — State Rep. Tom Cochran (D-Mason) said he is deeply disappointed that House Republicans stood in the way of the passage of the “Good Jobs” package, which could have brought thousands of good-paying jobs to Michigan. The House of Representatives remained in session until nearly midnight Tuesday in hopes of passing the legislation only to adjourn for three weeks without passing it because House Speaker Tom Leonard (R-DeWitt) feared Gov. Rick Snyder might have worked in a bipartisan manner with House Democrats to make the Good Jobs package even stronger.
“We had a chance to give thousands of Michiganders an opportunity to land a promising job with a living wage — the kinds of jobs that lead to economic security, homeownership, the ability to start a family and plan for the future. But instead, we walked away from that because some lawmakers thought it was more important to play political games,” Rep. Cochran said. “That’s not just a shame, that’s inexcusable, and the people of Michigan expect better from us. I call on my Republican colleagues to take up these bills as soon as possible so that we can pass them and bring good jobs to Michigan.”
Under the Good Jobs package, companies would only receive tax incentives for newly created jobs — not existing jobs — and the jobs would have to pay a wage equal to or higher than the average wage of an area. The incentives would only be available for permanent jobs, not temporary or seasonal ones.
“Michigan was hit hard by the Great Recession, and we’re still struggling to regain our economic footing. Meanwhile, other areas of the nation have fully recovered and left us in the dust,” Rep. Cochran said. “We have to recognize that our state is in competition with these other states for the best jobs available, and we need to take steps to make Michigan an attractive place for companies to locate and do business. We can’t afford to lose out because our political leaders are too busy playing partisan games.”
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