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Working to
Build the Next Michigan
 As
I begin my second and last term as your governor, I am excited about
what the future holds for us in the great state of Michigan. I believe
in Michigan – the Next Michigan – and ask you to join
with me as we work to turn things around. While we have already
accomplished much, we still have a lot more to do. I have got my
sleeves rolled up, and I’m ready to go to work bringing opportunity
to all who live here.
I want to share with you some of our accomplishments
(see below) and to let you know that the comprehensive economic
plan I detailed last year is now fully at work helping to build
a diverse and robust economy for all Michigan citizens.
 My
administration took several key steps last year to continue our
efforts to diversify the economy and create jobs, including: the
first awards from the $2 billion 21st Century Jobs Fund that provided
$138 million to 85 companies, entrepreneurs, and researchers; a
second trip to Japan that brought additional jobs and investment
to Michigan; the creation of the Michigan Promise scholarship; and
the launch of the Michigan First Health Care Plan which will bring
universal access to health care to Michigan's citizens in 2007.
We continued our efforts to put people first, to
put them to work, and to invest in them. Additional successes include:
1. Creating and protecting jobs by continuing to go anywhere
and do anything to attract and retain job providers.
- My
Local Jobs Today program provided $323 million in state and federal
funds for 210 local road and bridge projects, creating more than
5,000 jobs.
- The
MI Opportunity Partnership continued to match unemployed citizens
with job openings, helping place more than 117,000 people in jobs.
- I
fought for and signed into law an increase in the minimum wage
and the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit to help the state's
working families.
- My
administration’s efforts created or retained more than 86,000
jobs in 2006, bringing the total to 365,000 since 2003. Fourteen
companies chose Michigan for corporate headquarters, including
Google AdWords, Whirlpool, and BASF.
2. Educating our kids
- I
signed the Michigan Promise scholarship plan into law, allowing
every student to earn $4,000 for college or technical training.
- I
fought for and signed into law a new rigorous curriculum for Michigan's
high school students, making Michigan's standards among the toughest
in the nation.
- In
addition to increasing per pupil spending by $210 per student
– an all time high – I proposed a new after-school
program to help middle school students in math and science, and
a significant investment in early childhood programs to ensure
that every child starts school ready to succeed.
3. Providing access to affordable health care
- In
2006, I unveiled my Michigan First Health Care Plan to provide
Michigan citizens with universal access to affordable health care.
- The
Michigan Health Information Network is expanding the use of technology
to reduce duplicative medical services and mistakes, improve patient
care, and reduce the cost of health care for everyone.
- My
administration awarded more than $9 million in Accelerated Health
Professional Training grants in 2006 to help expand and accelerate
training programs for nurses and other allied health professionals.
4. Protecting our families and our quality of
life
- My
insurance pooling initiative made lower insurance rates available
to metro Detroit and Flint area residents. More than 4,600 residents
have already signed up for the program, which provides an immediate
10 percent rate reduction.
- I
asked for, and received, an additional $25 million to provide
home heating assistance to Michigan families struggling with the
high cost of natural gas.
- I
signed the most comprehensive water protection statute in Michigan
history, protecting the Great Lakes from large-scale diversion.
The legislation fulfilled a 20-year-old commitment to protect
the waters of the Great Lakes Basin.
- I
signed legislation to protect Michigan's seniors and vulnerable
citizens by requiring background checks for all workers in nursing
homes, long-term care facilities, and home health agencies.
- I
announced a comprehensive plan to protect Michigan families from
harmful mercury emissions. The plan calls for a reduction of emissions
from Michigan power plants by 90 percent in just 10 years.
- I renewed
my call on President Bush to cap exorbitant oil company profits
as Michigan citizens struggled to pay $3.00 per gallon for gasoline,
and we launched an online petition that more than 280,000 people
signed. The Department of Agriculture also conducted nearly 25,000
gas pump inspections – more than triple than the previous
year – to ensure that motorists were getting the quantity
and quality they deserved and paid for.
- I
signed legislation to protect children from the dangers of methamphetamine
exposure. The package, which I called for in my 2006 State of
the State address, defined meth exposure – for the first
time – as child abuse, increasing penalties for those who
would endanger children.
With a significant investment in our schools, a
$4,000 scholarship for every student to go to college, and efforts
to make insurance affordable and health care accessible, we made
great strides this year in protecting our quality of life as well
as our economic future.
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 The
Governor’s weekly radio address is released each Friday at 10:00
a.m. and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state through
an affiliation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. The
address will also be available on the Governor’s Website on
Mondays as a podcast for general distribution to personal MP3 players
and home computers. |
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