FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Contact: Rep. Gabe Leland
Phone: (517) 373-6990
LANSING - State Representative Gabe Leland (D-Detroit) today criticized House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) for failing to pass a $1 billion plan to create high-paying jobs in Michigan.
"In Detroit and across the state, we need jobs," Rep. Leland said. "This is a plan that will diversify our economy and give our workers brand new opportunities to compete for good-paying, high-tech jobs of the future. The Republicans must act now and stop delaying."
The $1 billion plan will diversify Michigan's economy by creating jobs and supporting innovation and research in the fields of homeland security, high-tech automotive, alternative energy and life sciences.
It also will provide venture capital for start-up companies in Michigan.
The proposal was rooted in Governor Jennifer M. Granholm's job-stimulus plan. In her 2005 State of the State address, Granholm unveiled a proposal to move Michigan toward robust economic recovery by creating 21st Century Jobs in research and innovation, focusing on competitive edge technologies, life sciences and commercialization.
"Rep. Craig DeRoche right now is holding our workers back and they deserve better treatment," Leland said. "Rep. DeRoche needs to bring this bill to a vote and get Michigan working again. The future of our workers is in his hands and he is stalling."
In urging an immediate vote on the plan, Leland cited recent Detroit News articles that revealed DeRoche had slipped a provision into the jobs plan just before it came to a vote that would have invested $60 million in WiMax, a wireless technology. That money would have benefited Bob Liggett Jr., who has donated tens of thousands of dollars to Republican candidates over the past seven years, according to the article. The provision would have allowed the funding to avoid a peer review panel.
"This shows that Mr. DeRoche is only interested in negotiating favors for his Republican cronies when he should be concerned about Michigan workers," Leland said. "Every minute he stalls is an opportunity lost for our residents."