A Look at the State of our State by Rep. Eileen Kowall
On Jan. 18, Gov. Snyder gave his second State of the State address before a joint session of the Senate and House. I was in attendance with my guest Oakland County Road Commissioner Ron Fowkes, and I came away feeling uplifted and positive after the governor's message. We worked very hard on efforts to get Michigan back on track in 2011, and it was nice to see the governor highlight our successes in his speech. In addition, he touched upon some areas that we legislators still need to work on as we move into 2012.
Jobs have been and will remain our top priority to put our economy back on top. It must be said first that we have made a lot of progress on the job front, with recent employment statistics suggesting that Michigan has begun to outpace the nation in job growth. However, there is no such thing as 'good enough', and we will keep working hard to reinvigorate Michigan's economy. Gov. Snyder stated in his speech that there are many jobs in our state that aren't being filled. I support his plans to connect Michigan residents with jobs and look forward to seeing how his new talent web portal (mitalent.org) will help get people back to work. We have a great talent pool in Michigan, and now it's time to connect them to the right jobs. We need to keep people in Michigan and work to bring some of our residents back home who were forced to leave as our economy faltered.
The governor also touted a need for increased transparency in state government. I have been a strong proponent of transparency. Last year the House implemented significant transparency measures, including posting all salaries, benefits and expenditures online. In addition, as part of the 2011 budget process, I worked to ensure that additional transparency measures were included in the Department of Economic Quality budget. Despite this progress we can always do more to keep government operations open. Government is run on taxpayer money, and the taxpayers have every right to see how their money is being spent. I'm pleased that Gov. Snyder supports this idea, and I look forward to working with him further on this as the year progresses.
The need for additional regulatory reform through the removal of unnecessary laws and rules was also a focus of the State of the State. I'm of the same opinion as the governor: an effective government is an efficient government. Unneeded rules and laws should always be looked for and eliminated. In 2011, Gov. Snyder signed my legislation that reformed the Administrative Procedures Act, requiring that all state departments investigate their rules annually to ensure they are not unnecessarily burdensome and achieve their intended purpose. Additionally, my legislation requires that review priority go to the rules that affect the greatest number of businesses, ensuring that the state's marketplace is clear of unneeded roadblocks. I look forward to continuing to work to make our government more efficient and effective this year.
Education also was a topic of discussion in this year's State of the State. We have taken great strides thus far to ensure that Michigan children have the best opportunities available to learn. The governor wants to give parents and local schools even more say in their children's education, and I applaud his focus on improving the future for Michigan's children while not settling for less when it comes to student achievement. Although we've made significant reforms, there is much more needed on the education front. I also agree with the governor that we need to better prepare kids for college and their future careers. Currently, a bicameral and bipartisan workgroup is looking for additional solutions to help our children achieve more. I look forward to seeing their recommendations and working to give Michigan children a brighter future.
Our economy has turned a corner. Although not everyone feels it yet, things are getting better. I look forward to continuing to pursue bold reforms in 2012 that will make Michigan an even better state for job opportunities. I am pleased that we have an advocate for Michigan in the governor's office, and I welcome the opportunity to work with Gov. Snyder as 2012 continues. |
