Subject: What the governor is talking about this week
What the Governor’s Talking about This
Week
Friday, September 24, 2010
- Governor Thanks Members of Michigan
Congressional Delegation Who Supported Small Business
Act
- Six Budget Bills Signed by
Governor
- Reforms Changing Health Care System for
the Better, Governor Says
- Governor Touts 21st Century Jobs Fund
Program during Visit to Kalexsyn in
Kalamazoo
Governor Thanks Members of Michigan
Congressional Delegation Who Supported Small Business Act
The governor issued the following statement late
Thursday regarding passage of H.R. 5297, the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act
of 2010, by the U.S. House of Representatives:
“Today Congress approved the Small Business Jobs
and Credit Act of 2010, which will help small businesses access credit so that
they can make new investments and create jobs. Also included in this
legislation is $12 billion in tax breaks and $1.5 billion for the State Small
Business Credit Initiative, which is modeled on the successful Michigan Supplier
Diversification Program. I thank the members of the Michigan congressional
delegation who supported our small businesses by voting for this
legislation.”
Six Budget Bills Signed by
Governor
On Thursday the governor signed fiscal year 2011
appropriations bills for community colleges, the judiciary and the departments
of Agriculture, Education, State Police and Military and Veterans
Affairs.
Department of Agriculture — The department’s fiscal year
2011 appropriation is $76.4 million, including $30.3 million from the state’s
general fund. The budget includes $13 million for food safety programs,
$23.5 million to protect plant and animal health, and $13.8 million for consumer
safety protections, including gas pump inspections.
Community Colleges — The fiscal year 2011
appropriation for the state’s 28 community colleges is $295.9 million, a
decrease of $3.5 million from fiscal year 2010. Funding for operations at
each college is maintained at the current level as is funding for the At-Risk
Student Success Program. Overall funding was reduced as a result of the
elimination of the Renaissance Zone tax reimbursements previously provided to
community colleges.
Department of Education — The
department will receive $127 million for fiscal year 2011, including $21.9
million from the general fund. This is an increase of $14 million over the
current year, largely due to increased federal funding. This budget
provides the funding needed to implement the state’s education reform package
signed into law earlier this year that will strengthen student achievement and
accountability.
Judiciary — The total operating
budget for the judiciary for fiscal year 2011 is $260.4 million, which includes
$152.1 million in general fund money. The budget maintains funding for
drug treatment courts that hold offenders accountable for their behavior while
providing treatment for substance abuse problems. Successful substance
abuse treatment can reduce long, costly incarcerations and recidivism at both
the local and state levels.
Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs — The department’s fiscal year 2011 appropriation is
$150 million, which includes $36.4 million in general fund money. The
budget maintains $3 million for veterans’ service organizations that provide
benefit counseling and assistance to the state’s veterans. In addition,
$43.2 million is provided for military training sites, headquarters and armories
for national security, and $68.4 million for the Grand Rapids and D.J. Jacobetti
veterans’ homes which currently serve nearly 900
veterans.
Michigan State Police — The MSP budget
for fiscal year 2011 totals $529.2 million, including $260.4 million from the
state’s general fund. To help keep citizens safe, the budget maintains the
current number of state troopers and provides $36.7 million to operate the
state’s crime labs.
Key messages:
• Keeping Michigan citizens safe is a primary
responsibility. The Michigan State Police budget will keep troopers on the
road, maintain crime labs and meet our homeland security needs.
•
Community colleges play a critical role in helping ensure all Michigan citizens,
regardless of age, have access to the training they need to be successful.
Even in challenging economic times, we’ve been able to maintain stable funding
in this area.
• The budgets the governor signed today protect funding
for critical priorities, including education and public safety. It’s now
time for the legislature to complete its work on the 2011 budget to further
protect the priorities that are important to the people of Michigan, including
investing in job creation programs, education and health care for the
vulnerable.
Reforms Changing Health Care System for the
Better, Governor Says
In her weekly radio address, the governor today
said health care reforms that took effect September 23 as part of the federal
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are helping transform our nation’s
health care system for the better.
“No longer can insurance
companies deny coverage for children under age 19 based upon a pre-existing
medical condition,” the governor said. “Also, in this tough economy, it’s
difficult for many young people to afford health insurance. So now,
insurers and employers who provide dependent coverage are required to make that
coverage available at their next open enrollment period to children up to age
26.”
“Health care reform now makes preventive care more
affordable,” the governor continued. “Health insurance plans have to, upon
renewal, eliminate any cost-sharing for preventive services covered under the
contract. Insurance companies can no longer charge a deductible, a co-pay
or co-insurance for preventive care measures such as
immunizations.”
Key messages:
• The Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act will provide further benefits down the road, such as affordable coverage
options for the uninsured and those who purchase their own individual health
insurance. But already we’re seeing important changes in areas such as
preventive services and protecting health care for children. Our health
care system is being transformed for the better, and all Americans will
benefit.
• Consumers should contact their health
insurer or employer to learn more about how all of the reforms affect their
current health coverage. If consumers have questions or complaints
regarding an insurance company, agency, agent or product, they should contact
the Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation.
To listen to the
radio address, click on the following link:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov268Full_333351_7.mp3
Governor Touts 21st Century Jobs Fund
Program during Visit to Kalexsyn in Kalamazoo
The governor visited Kalexsyn in Kalamazoo on
Thursday, a chemistry research organization formed in 2003 by two former Pfizer
employees and one of the companies awarded financing though the 21st Century
Jobs Fund.
The Jobs Fund is a $2 billion, 10-year initiative
proposed by the governor, approved by the state legislature and administered by
the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to accelerate the diversification
of Michigan’s economy and create jobs.
In 2003, Kalexsyn used the Pfizer Company Formation
Fund ($192,200, paid back in full) to build a company from scratch. Since
then, the company has grown from a laboratory in the Southwest Michigan
Innovation Center to a stand-alone operation in an adjacent building.
Kalexsyn also has hired 21 ex-Pfizer employees. Currently, Kalexsyn
provides preclinical development services to companies around the
world.
Key messages:
• Through the 21st Century Jobs Fund, we have
laid a foundation for a new, diversified Michigan economy by providing start-up
businesses with seed capital, coaching and a support
infrastructure.
• Combined, all Jobs Fund awardees have
created or retained more than 24,000 jobs in the emerging high-tech sectors of
life sciences, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and homeland security and
defense.
• As of March 31, 2010, the 21st Century Jobs
Fund initiative has leveraged more than $1.8 billion in private
investment. Companies supported by the initiative have filed and/or
received 898 new patents, and commercialized or licensed 450 new products and
technologies.
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