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Michigan Governor Eyes Economic Renewal
by Michael Martinez
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill were not the only ones this week focused on revitalizing the economy. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm called on the Legislature Tuesday to concentrate on resuscitating the state's competitiveness in the global economy.
In her annual State of State address Tuesday, Granholm said that Michigan is on track to bring its economy back to life but that lawmakers must continue to direct their energy and resources to the issue.
"We have a detailed and comprehensive plan to grow this economy," she said. "We are working that plan. And everything in that plan will secure the opportunity for a good life for you and your family. In Michigan."
Granholm, a Democrat, touted several initiatives to prepare more homegrown, highly skilled workers and create opportunities for those workers. She said that a $600 million tax cut would help stem the outsourcing of jobs to other countries and that a new job fund would utilize $3 billion from the private and public sectors to develop new economic opportunities. The job fund, she said, would be particularly helpful in creating homeland security, defense and advanced manufacturing opportunities.
"In five years, you're going to be blown away by the strength and diversity of Michigan's transformed economy," Granholm said.
The agenda Granholm put before lawmakers for 2008 also includes creating a Web portal where businesses can access regulatory information. She said it is vital that the government do more to "cut the red tape" in its relationship with the private sector. "We must continue to streamline government's interactions with the business community."
On Monday, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, meanwhile, told lawmakers in his annual address that there is no silver bullet for the Volunteer State's economic woes. The Democratic governor told the Legislature that Tennessee has not been hit as hard as other states by the recent economic downturn and predicted the state's economy will be able to weather the storm if policy makers respond appropriately.
"There's no tax policy that will fix this," he said. "In fact, states with income taxes typically experience bigger swings than we do when the economy changes. We just have to learn to live with this reality and most importantly, learn to manage through it."
Bredesen also stressed the continued advancement of Tennessee's health information technology programs. He said Tennessee has become a national leader on the e-health front and praised an ongoing program in Memphis and at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
"There are advantages to both the cost and quality of health care that flow from this use of technology," Bredesen said. "We have paid a great deal of attention to the privacy and security of these records as we have proceeded."
Washington Governor Pushes Tech Apprenticeships
Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire this week endorsed a plan to bolster her state's apprenticeship programs for aerospace and technology workers.
Gregoire, a Democrat, pledged to invest $3 million to develop curricula and purchase equipment for the apprenticeship programs. Roughly 14,500 workers are enrolled in such initiatives.
"We must be frugal with this year's budget, but this investment is about further improving the future of our state's economy and apprenticeship programs are a critical component in providing a skilled workforce," Gregoire said in a news release.
State Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown supports the plan. She said it is important for the state to know where it is going to find its next generation of aerospace and technology workers. The funding for the apprenticeships first must be approved by the Legislature.
"A thriving aerospace industry is vital to Washington's economic future, and apprenticeships are vital to a thriving aerospace industry," said Brown, a Democrat. "It's a win-win."
Mo. Governor Demands Action On Cyber Bullying
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt this week called on lawmakers to act quickly on a bill that would penalize adults caught harassing minors online.
The bill would make it a felony for adults to use the Internet and other technologies to stalk, harass and bully minors. Some advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, already have expressed concerns about how the measure would regulate speech.
In a statement, the Republican governor urged the Legislature to move swiftly and adopt recommendations recently issued by a task force he commissioned on cyber bullying. Blunt formed that task force in response to the suicide of Megan Meier, a Missouri teen who took her life after she was subjected to online abuse. Meier's family has accused a neighbor of creating a fake identity on a social-networking site specifically for the sake of harassing Megan.
A committee in the state Senate held a hearing on the recommendations Monday. Tina Meier, Megan's mother, told AP she believes those who may have contributed to her daughter's death will go unpunished because there are no current state laws to combat cyber bullying.
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