by Scott McClallen
A new coalition called the Great Lakes Growth aims to boost Michigan’s economy and population by opposing what it calls “anti-growth” bills introduced in the Legislature.
GLG’s founding members include the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Manufacturers Association, Detroit Regional Chamber and Grand Rapids Chamber.
The group opposes programs pitched in August by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, including a paid family leave program and a 100% clean energy standard.
The GLG says the paid family leave program would add a new up to $1.5 billion annual payroll tax on businesses and a 100% clean energy mandate they say would raise electricity costs and exacerbate unreliability.
The coalition was formed after a report estimated another 270,000 people would leave the state by 2050.
“Michigan’s path to growth is at grave risk with the multitude of risky economic proposals proposed in Lansing,” Michigan Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President of Business Advocacy Wendy Block (pictured above) said in a statement. “Challenges such as rising inflation and loss of population already have Michigan on the wrong track and workers agree. Surveys show that nearly 75% of Michigan residents felt the state’s economy is either stagnant or getting worse. There is an urgent need for a unified voice on key issues that jeopardize employers and employees alike and our state’s ability to compete, grow and thrive.”
Another bill aims to adopt a standard similar to California for defining independent contractors, which would likely leave few people to qualify as independent contractors.
“State leaders have proposed a litany of tax-increasing, cost-raising, job-killing, antiworker’s choice economic proposals that must be altered or stopped,” Grand Rapids Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs Josh Lunger said in a statement.
“Michigan’s economy will not grow with expensive one-size-fits-all government mandates on job providers, unaffordable and inconsistent energy supplies, the elimination of workforce flexibility that workers and job creators depend on in a strained labor market, or a complex web of up to 1,800 different sets of regulations. These bills will hurt the very people they claim to help – especially small businesses and Michiganders living paycheck-to paycheck.”
The GLG says clean energy goals must balance safety, reliable, and affordable energy. For example, Whitmer wants 100% clean energy but in 2021, renewables provided only 11% of Michigan’s net electricity generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Moreover, Michigan is currently retiring energy sources that provided more than 60% of electricity generation in 2021, counting coal and other plants.
“We all have shared concerns about where this Legislature is taking the state,” Michigan Manufacturers Association Vice President of Government Affairs and Workforce Development Mike Johnston said in a statement. “These policies are going to harm small manufacturers, make us less able to bring new manufacturers to the state, and create barriers on those businesses currently here from expanding. We can’t go down this path. So, now we come together with an amplified voice to fight for the future of the Great Lakes State.”
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi. In 2021, he published a book on technology and privacy. He co-hosts the weekly Michigan in Focus podcast.
Photo “Wendy Block” by Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
