The “New Michigan Now” campaign to move Michigan forward will fix our state’s broken Legislature and implement a six-point action agenda that will create jobs for Michigan workers that can’t be outsourced, reform government, expand access to health care for all Michigan citizens, expand the role of renewable energy in Michigan to create good-paying jobs and reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and protect our special way of life and our quality of life here in the Great Lakes State.

I. Creating Jobs and Protecting Workers

Create good-paying jobs for Michigan workers

• Give preference for tax breaks and other economic development tools to companies that hire Michigan residents.
• Encourage transparency and accountability by requiring companies that take economic development incentives to put Michigan residents first.
• Crack down on companies that hire illegal workers by canceling their state contracts and tax incentives, barring them from future contracts and requiring them to pay back incentives already received from the state.

Encourage job creation by fostering entrepreneurship

• Foster the spirit of entrepreneurship that is a hallmark of the American way by offering universities incentives to enhance technology transfer and commercialization initiatives, giving entrepreneurs the technical support they need to bring their ideas to the marketplace.
• Create a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs to access the resources they need to start and grow their businesses.
• By encouraging and supporting entrepreneurs, we can keep our brightest and most innovative workers in Michigan and end the brain drain that is hurting our economy. This plan will also help attract entrepreneurs from other states and countries to Michigan, which will spur investment and job creation.

Create a more business-friendly environment in Michigan to attract 21st century job providers

• Ensure Michigan has a competitive business edge by simplifying and streamlining the Michigan Business Tax.
• Repeal the MBT surcharge for businesses.
• Entice businesses to invest in Michigan by reducing the tax burden, providing access to research and development through our world-class universities, and ensuring that Michigan has a well-educated and highly trained workforce.

Expand the No Worker Left Behind program

• Providing more training opportunities for workers who have lost their jobs to downsizing and outsourcing will help grow our workforce and attract 21st century job providers to Michigan.
• Expanding the role of community colleges and ensuring they have the funding they need to support our workers will ensure that all Michigan workers have the opportunity to succeed.

Create a 401(k)-style investment plan for small businesses and their employees

• Establish a 401(k)-style investment plan for small businesses and their employees to ensure that our residents who work hard their whole lives are financially secure in their retirement.
• No one who works hard their entire lives deserves to struggle during their golden years. As the cost of living continues to rise, we must ensure that our retirees are secure.

II. Reforming Government and Cutting State Spending

Cut lawmakers’ salaries

• Cut the salaries of lawmakers and other elected officials by 5 percent to reduce the cost of government.
• As Michigan’s working families struggle to do more less every day, our elected officials must also share in the sacrifice.

End free lifetime health care benefits for lawmakers and other elected officials

• Lawmakers qualify for free lifetime health care after serving just six years in the Michigan Legislature.
• No other job guarantees a person free lifetime health care after only six years.
• Ending this expensive and extravagant perk for elected officials will help reduce the cost of government for taxpayers.

Prohibit lawmakers from becoming lobbyists for two years after leaving office

• Ending the revolving door between lawmakers and lobbyists will help ensure that our elected officials are working for the best interests of the residents they represent.

III. Strengthening education to create the new workforce of the 21st century

Make college affordable for working families

• Invest in higher education to ensure that our world-class universities remain strong and to ensure that all residents have access to an affordable education. Building a highly educated workforce is the key to attracting businesses to Michigan and making our state a global leader.
• Work with universities and colleges to strengthen outreach programs and prepare more young residents from low-income families to attend college.

Increase funding for local schools to prepare our children to succeed

• A top-notch education is the key to success in today’s world. Investing more dollars in the classroom – and keeping those dollars out of the hands of bureaucrats – will give our schools the resources they need to give our children a top-notch education.
• Closing the funding gap between schools will ensure that all children get the high-quality education they will need to compete in the 21st century global economy.

Offer tax credits to companies that help pay back their employees’ student loans

• Giving tax incentives to companies that help students pay back their student loans will in turn give our young workers a real incentive to stay in Michigan.
• We must keep our best and brightest workers here in Michigan and end the brain drain.

IV. Building Our Energy Independence and Creating Jobs

Expand the role of renewable energy in Michigan’s economy

• Set a renewable energy standard of 20 percent by 2020, which will attract major investment, create jobs for Michigan workers that can’t be outsourced and help end our dependence on foreign oil. Reward utilities that use Michigan workers and Michigan companies to meet the requirements.
• Revitalize our idled manufacturing plants by putting our autoworkers back on the job making wind turbine parts, solar panels and other renewable energy components.
• Slash the Personal Property Tax for companies that purchase equipment to transition to the renewable energy economy. Offer tax credits for research and development in green technologies.
• Use tax breaks and advanced technology to expand the production and availability of renewable fuel from non-food sources such as agricultural and food waste.

Increase the production and purchase of alternative fuel vehicles built by U.S. automakers

• Offer tax breaks to companies that develop technology for vehicles that use alternative fuels such as electricity or fuels cells to help speed up the process of bringing those vehicles from the drawing board to the showroom.
• Provide tax breaks for consumers who buy American-made alternative fuel vehicles.

Reduce demand for electricity

• Set a goal of increasing energy efficiency in the state by 20 percent by 2020.
• Create tax incentives for property owners who install renewable energy technology such as solar panels or wind turbines. When paired with federal tax credits, these incentives could save a consumer up to 15 percent on the cost of installing a home system.
• Offer consumers tax credits for buying energy-efficient appliances and equipment.
• Require utilities to incorporate energy efficiency programs into their services.

V. Protecting Our Land, Air, Water and Quality of Life

End Canadian and out-of-state trash

• Attack the economics of the trash trade by raising Michigan’s dumping charge from the lowest in the region – forcing trash exporters to take their waste elsewhere.
• Ban new landfills and strictly limit the expansion of existing landfills until 2015.
• Crack down on jurisdictions that send prohibited waste to Michigan, and make it easier to prosecute and punish repeat offenders with up to $10,000 in fines.

Protect homeowners by cutting taxes and cracking down on predatory lending

• Prevent property taxes from rising when the value of a home declines.
• Impose an 18-month moratorium on the “pop-up” tax for homebuyers, which will allow more residents to achieve the dream of owning their own home.
• Ban predatory lending practices, such as making loans without requiring a borrower to prove their ability to repay the loan, encouraging a borrower to default, charging excessive late fees and charging fees for a payoff statement.
• Protect homeowners’ equity by prohibiting home refinancing to generate fees for the lender unless there is a tangible net benefit to the borrower.
• Protect consumers from being steered toward high-cost loans when they would otherwise qualify for a traditional loan.

Create incentives for developing water conservation technologies

• Michigan’s immense water resources make the Great Lakes State a natural to become a hub for new technologies in water conservation.
• Michigan is home to 20 percent of the world’s fresh water. By building an industry around water conservation technologies, we can protect our most precious natural resource while creating jobs for our workers.

VI. Strengthening Health Care and Protecting Michigan Citizens

End drug industry immunity and allow consumers to hold big drug companies accountable when their products harm or kill our residents

• Repeal a 1996 law granting legal immunity to drug companies when their products harm or kill. This one-of-a-kind law gives companies immunity from legal action so long as the drug in question has been approved for safety and efficacy by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
• Make the repeal retroactive so that Michigan residents harmed by dangerous drugs since 1996 can seek legal recourse.
• Include big drug companies in the Consumer Protection Act, from which they are currently exempt.

Extend health care to 1 million uninsured Michigan citizens and cut costs for all residents

• Leverage federal dollars for the Michigan First Health Care plan to secure health care coverage for uninsured Michigan citizens.
• By using federal funds to extend health care coverage to those who need it, we can drive down the cost of health care for all Michigan residents.

Increase tax credits for small businesses that offer health insurance

• Businesses that do the right thing by offering affordable health care coverage to our workers must be rewarded.
• Helping more businesses provide health care coverage for our working families will drive down the cost of health care for all residents.

Ban the use of arsenic and mercury in children’s toys sold in Michigan

• Prohibit children’s toys that contain arsenic and mercury from being sold in Michigan.
• Fine companies that sell toys containing arsenic and mercury – starting with $100 per item for the first offense. Beginning with the third offense, the fine would increase to $1,000 per item, up to $50,000.
• These toxic chemicals cause serious harm and can even be fatal. There is no reason for any toy to contain these hazardous chemicals.