Subject: What the governor's talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about
Today
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
- Michigan #1 in Nation for
Digital Government
- Dow-Tata Alliance Will
Create Up to 500 New Jobs, Governor Says
- Governor Says Family
Resource Centers Critical to Helping Children, Families
Succeed
Michigan #1 in Nation for Digital
Government
The governor today announced
that Michigan is a national leader in using information technology to transform
and improve government.
Michigan and Utah were the only two states to
receive “A” grades in the 2010 Digital States Survey conducted by the Center for
Digital Government in conjunction with Government Technology magazine. The
survey, conducted every two years, is the nation’s most recognized and respected
study of information technology in all 50 states.
Key messages:
• Throughout the governor’s terms in office,
Michigan has been a national leader in using information technology to improve
services for citizens, placing first in the nation in 2004 and 2006 and second
in the nation in 2008.
• We’ve used technology to both streamline
government and improve the way government services are delivered to Michigan
citizens. We’ve improved online services for citizens seeking assistance
with Medicaid and unemployment benefits, cut information technology costs by
consolidating essential functions, and engaged citizens with state government
through social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
• The 2010 Digital
States Survey results can be found at: http://www.govtech.com/enterprise-technology/50-State-Report.html.
Follow Governor Granholm on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/govgranholm
and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jennifergranholm.
Dow-Tata Alliance Will Create Up to 500 New
Jobs, Governor Says
The governor today joined company and local
officials in Midland to celebrate an alliance between Dow Chemical Company and
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) that will create up to 500 new jobs at Dow’s new
Business Process Services Center which is under construction. TCS, a
subsidiary of India’s largest conglomerate, will operate out of the service
center and provide finance consulting, order processing and other IT
services.
TCS plans to invest $12.5 million in its Midland
operations, and the project is expected to create 500 jobs during its initial
phase. State incentives offered through the Michigan Economic Development
Corporation (MEDC) helped TCS choose to stay in Michigan over a competing site
in Ohio.
Key messages:
• Dow’s decision to further invest in Midland
demonstrates the state’s ability to partner with world-class corporations and
help them expand. By forming a global alliance with Tata Consultancy
Services, Dow has built an excellent platform for future growth.
•
Today’s event is a terrific reminder that Michigan’s aggressive economic
strategy — our go anywhere, do anything approach to diversifying our state’s
economy — can bring significant new investment that results in good-paying jobs
for Michigan workers.
• In recent years, the state of Michigan, through
the MEDC, has partnered with the Dow Chemical Company and a number of its
affiliates to create and retain thousands of new jobs in the Midland area.
Michigan Economic Growth Authority incentives were approved in February 2010 to
support a total investment of $1 billion in wind, solar and advanced battery
manufacturing facilities. In total, these expansions are expected to
create more than 6,900 new jobs.
Governor Says Family Resource Centers
Critical to Helping Children, Families Succeed
The governor and Michigan Department of Human
Services (DHS) Director Ismael Ahmed today visited a newly opened Family
Resource Center inside Flint’s McKinley Foundation Academy made possible by a
grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
Family Resource
Centers, a Granholm initiative, began with 20 sites in 2003. The centers,
located within or near select elementary and middle schools based on need,
coordinate services according to goals developed and shared by students’
families, the school, and local community and government agencies. There
are currently 49 Family Resource Centers operating statewide.
Key messages:
• Family Resource Centers help children and
families succeed by offering human services in a safe, non-threatening school
environment. Each center uses community resources to support school-age
children and their families in and out of the classroom, allowing educators to
focus on preparing tomorrow’s leaders.
• The launch of McKinley’s
Family Resource Center is part of the DHS “Helping Families 101: Get Ready 2
Learn” statewide campaign that focuses on the combined efforts of the department
and its partners to meet families’ ongoing needs so children can focus on
learning. For more information about the “Helping Families 101: Get Ready
2 Learn” campaign, visit www.michigan.gov/helpingfamilies101.
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