From: Whipple, Deb (GOV)
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 4:17 PM
Subject: What the governor is talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about Today
Friday, April 2, 2010
 
Governor Urges Extensions of Unemployment Insurance, COBRA
 
In a letter to congressional leaders, the governor today urged swift passage of legislation to extend critical unemployment insurance assistance programs as well as aid to unemployed workers so they can afford health care.
 
In early 2009, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Congress and the Obama administration acted quickly to provide full federal funding for extended unemployment compensation, increase unemployment benefits, and provide unemployed workers with subsidies to help them afford their COBRA health care coverage.
 
“Just last month, Congress again temporarily extended these programs, providing the long-term unemployed with access to benefits,” the governor wrote.  “These measures were enormously helpful to Michigan residents and I thank you for taking these actions.  However, the extension of existing federal unemployment and COBRA programs is again set to expire on April 5.  It appears that the obstructionist tactics of a few could cause over 120,000 Michigan residents in April alone to lose the support they are depending on to help them weather the current economic crisis.”
 
“This is not the time to stand in the way of providing help to families across the country as we emerge from this recession,” the governor wrote.  “I urge you to extend these benefits as soon as possible.”
 
Governor Renews Call for State Lawmakers to Pass Anti-Bullying Legislation
The governor today renewed her call for state lawmakers to pass anti-bullying legislation.  The governor’s renewed call for action comes on the heels of new reports of teen suicides that have followed alleged or confirmed cases of bullying.  The governor, who first proposed anti-bullying legislation in 2006, said lawmakers should act when they return from their spring recess.
 
“Here in Michigan and across the nation, suicides among young people who have been subjected to bullying demonstrate the need for anti-bullying legislation,” the governor said.  “Just last month in the Upper Peninsula, a young girl committed suicide.  A contributing factor may have been alleged bullying by a classmate.  Protecting young people should be and must be our number one concern.”
 
“We cannot afford further delay,” Granholm said.  “The legislature should move quickly on this lifesaving legislation when it returns from recess.”
 
Key messages:
 
•  Michigan is one of only nine states without an anti-bullying law.
 
•  In 2007, the Michigan House passed anti-bullying legislation known as “Matt’s Safe School Law” in honor of Matthew Epling, a young East Lansing student who took his life after being bullied by other students.  The Senate failed to pass the legislation.
 
•  Anti-bullying bills were again introduced in both houses in 2009 and are pending in the House and Senate education committees.
 
Governor Says Film Program Creating Jobs Today and for Future
 
In her weekly radio address, the governor today said that Michigan’s film incentive program is creating jobs today and for the future.  April 7 will mark the two-year anniversary of the governor’s signing of the legislation creating the program.
 
“When we created the film incentive program, we wanted to increase the number of productions filmed on location in Michigan, attract production facilities, create jobs, and train workers for those jobs,” the governor said.  “Michigan’s film incentive program has made our state one of the top three in the nation for the production of all types of media.”
 
Key messages:
 
•  In the last two years, 89 movie or TV productions were completed in Michigan.  These productions spent $348 million in salaries, goods and services, and they created jobs for more than 6,700 workers.
 
•  Film studios and production facilities also are popping up in Michigan.  There’s the 10 West Studio in Manistee and the Hangar 42 facility in Walker near Grand Rapids.  Three more production facilities are scheduled to be built, representing a total investment of more than $300 million and projected to create almost 6,000 permanent, full-time jobs.
 
•  We’re also training people to fill the demand for jobs generated by Michigan’s growing film industry.  This means our current generation of high school and college students won’t have to leave Michigan to learn the skills needed to work in film, television or other digital media.  So not only is the film industry providing jobs for Michigan workers today, it’ll be a source of good jobs for our children in the future.
 
•  Growing Michigan’s film industry is part of a larger ongoing commitment by the Granholm administration to diversify the state’s economy and create jobs.  In addition to film, targeted sectors are advanced manufacturing, life sciences, clean energy, homeland security and defense, and tourism.
 
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