February 20, 2009
LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that the federal recovery money Michigan will receive from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Barack Obama earlier this week will create all kinds of jobs for all kinds of people.
"We will be using this federal recovery funding to create all kinds of jobs for all kinds of people," Granholm said. "We'll create jobs today building infrastructure, fixing roads and bridges, and repairing sewers all across the state. And we'll create jobs tomorrow by creating demand for new alternative energy products and projects. We'll be investing in a new energy infrastructure and weatherizing homes and businesses from one end of the state to the other."
The governor said that the state is moving forward to ensure that every dollar is made available as quickly as possible. Although details on how much money Michigan will receive under this plan are still being unveiled, it presents a tremendous opportunity to continue creating jobs today and jobs tomorrow.
In a matter of weeks, Michigan is set to receive $853 million to spend on road and bridge construction under the recover plan. Funding for at-risk and special education for K-12 schools, Medicaid, and unemployment insurance is also forthcoming. Governor Granholm this week signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor that will result in $25 more per week in unemployment benefits beginning in early spring through 2009, which will put more money in people's pockets.
"This past year has been brutal, like few others in our history," Granholm said. "Any honest assessment of our state's economy has to recognize that things are likely to get worse before they get better - but they will get better."
The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state. The address is available on the governor's Web site at www.michigan.gov/gov for download, together with a clip of the quote above. The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Radio Address - Economic Recovery
February 20, 2009
Full: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov185Full_267875_7.mp3
Edited: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov185Edit_267877_7.mp3
Quote: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov185Quote_267878_7.mp3
Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm.
This week President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the most extensive investment program in history to create jobs and invest in our economy. Though details on precisely how much money Michigan will receive under this plan are still being unveiled, we know this presents a tremendous opportunity for us to continue creating jobs today and jobs tomorrow.
This past year has been brutal, like few others in our history. And any honest assessment of our state's economy has to recognize that things are likely to get worse before they get better - but they will get better. And that is why we are already moving forward to ensure that we make every dollar available as quickly as possible.
We will be using this federal recovery funding to create all kinds of jobs for all kinds of people. We'll create jobs today building infrastructure, fixing roads and bridges, and repairing sewers all across the state. And, we will create jobs tomorrow by creating demand for new alternative energy products and projects. We'll be investing in a new energy infrastructure and weatherizing homes and businesses from one end of the state to the other.
In many instances, the recovery funds will come to Michigan under existing formulas. A case in point is in the area of roads and bridge construction. For years local and state transportation planners have worked together to prioritize how federal dollars are spent in various regions across the state and under the recovery act, that process will be followed again. In a matter of weeks, Michigan will receive $853 million to spend on road and bridge construction under the recovery plan, all of which will be spent according to priorities established by those local governing agencies.
And just as road construction dollars will be appropriated based on a formula, so, too, will funding for at-risk and special education funds for K-12 schools, and for Medicaid, and for unemployment insurance. Just this week, I signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor that will result in a $25 a week increase in weekly unemployment benefits starting early this spring.
In addition to the formula programs, we will also aggressively pursue competitive grants under the recovery program as well. The priorities for all of our spending will be job creation, training and educating citizens, and investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to create jobs, save money, and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
To learn more about our priorities to create jobs under this important recovery program, visit: www.michigan.gov/recovery.
Thank you for listening.
#
