LANSING – House Democrats today called on the Republican-led Senate to take action before adjourning for the weekend and pass a plan that will create more than 29,000 jobs for Michigan workers.
"Creating jobs for Michigan workers and getting our economy back on track are top priorities for the House Democrats," said State Representative Morris Hood III (D-Detroit), Chair of the Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee. "Our plan will bring much-needed improvements to our colleges and universities, which will help our schools prepare our students for the good-paying jobs of the 21st century. The Senate must take immediate action because this plan is far too important to wait."
The plan that passed the House last week speeds up funding for hundreds of construction projects at universities, colleges, airports, military facilities and state parks across the state. In addition to creating jobs now for Michigan's workers, the plan also will create new jobs in emerging fields by equipping our colleges and universities with the facilities they need to train students for high-tech jobs in homeland security, life sciences and other cutting-edge fields. Some of the projects include:
• Expanding the Plant Sciences Bio-Economy facilities at Michigan State University, creating 2,341 jobs.
• Building a Multi-Disciplinary Biomedical Research Building at Wayne State University, creating 2,880 jobs.
• Building a Health Sciences Building at Saginaw Valley State University, creating 448 jobs.
Quick passage of this plan is also essential to securing federal funding for the airport projects involved. The state has until June 30 to obtain the Governor's signature on the plan and go through the required bidding process in order to receive the federal funding that will pay for most of the projects.
"Our working families are struggling, and these projects will get our workers back on the job," said House Majority Floor Leader Steve Tobocman (D-Detroit). "I am very disappointed the Senate ignored this plan for yet another day. This plan will help move Michigan forward. I urge the Senate to take action."