House Democratic Caucus Announces Jobs & Neighborhood Reforms

Liz Gullett

House Democratic Caucus Announces Jobs & Neighborhood Reforms

Jul 13, 2018

This week, members of the House Democratic caucus unveiled their proposal to create good jobs and foster neighborhood business growth. Named the “Neighborhood Businesses, Neighborhood Growth” initiative, the plan would:

Create a small business and entrepreneurship services office to facilitate the creation and retention of small business jobs in the state.
Urge the governor and the office of Talent and Economic Development to increase support and their focus on small businesses, including providing grants for entrepreneurs, help for startup companies, and minority business development.
Create a small business preference in state procurement that requires a percentage of certain contracts be set aside for businesses that meet the definition of small business.
Allow and allocate funding for small business owners to buy into a secure retirement savings plan at the state level.

According to the members, neighborhood businesses created more than 34,000 jobs in 2014, with total small business employment accounting for nearly 50.2% of the workforce. “Economists all seem to agree that small businesses are key to a good economy. This latest announcement is another proposal that seeks to increase that important sector in the Michigan economy, in the hopes of continued growth in our state,” said Tim Ward President of MLC. The bills were referred to the House Commerce and Trade Committee.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.