Today in Washington, the Senate Finance Committee will take up whether Congress should extend unemployment benefits for Michigan’s 100,000 unemployed workers who have used up their available unemployment relief. The Senate bills supported by both Carl Levin (D-Detroit) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) would give an additional 13 weeks of benefits to unemployed workers in states who carry an unemployment rate of at least 8.5 percent. Michigan holds the highest jobless rate in the nation at 15 percent.

Nearly 100,000 Michiganians will run out of benefits by the end of the year. The Michigan House of Representatives approved related legislation to help Michigan’s workers in May, but it has yet to be taken up by the Senate Republicans and the bills continue to gather dust in committee. As this legislation sits idle, the state’s unemployment rate continues to grow and thousands of Michigan residents are struggling to make ends meet and support their families.

These bills, also called the “Unemployment Modernization Act,” would allow individuals enrolled in a state-approved job training program to receive unemployment insurance benefits for an extra 26 weeks and would also allow those working between 16 and 40 hours per week to become eligible for unemployment insurance benefits beginning after January 1, 2011. Twenty-seven states and counting have already taken the measures to pass this legislation.

Senate Democrats have continuously called for action on this legislation since day one, despite the issue being overlooked by their colleagues across the aisle. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Prusi (D- Ishpeming) spoke on the Senate floor on the urgency for action on these bills. His statement can be viewed here: http://www.senate.mi.gov/prusi/play.php?id=796. Check out these other sites to help call for action:

• To sign a petition and contact Republican Senators to demand support for the legislation click here: www.senate.michigan.gov/dem/helpmiworkers.

• To join the ‘Help Michigan Workers’ Facebook Cause page click here: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/317737/42426775?m=2d8eb144&t=1247754471.

As Congress and others work to help families struggling get by in this economy, Senate Democrats will continue to make this issue a priority.

On Wednesday, July 22, I will host a town hall meeting with former Rep. Steve Tobocman and state and local experts on how to save your home from foreclosure. It will take place from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. at the Northwest Activity Center in Detroit at 18100 Meyers Road.

This is a free event. For more information, call 1-800-454-7842 or visit www.mirealtors.com.

New unemployment data released yesterday paints a dismal, yet not surprising, picture of the state of Michigan’s economy: 15.2% of workers are unemployed, and this number is likely much higher due to workers who lost part-time jobs or who have already exhausted their benefits. Economists predict this number will continue to rise: http://www.mlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/07/michigan_unemployment_rate_jum_2.html.

Senators Tupac A. Hunter and Deb Cherry have introduced bills that would throw a lifeline to unemployed workers in Michigan who have lost part-time jobs or are participating in a state-approved job training program. These bills, which are identical to bills passed through the House in May, have not yet been acted upon by the Senate Republican Majority. Passing this legislation would not only help Michigan’s unemployed workers, but it would also enable the state to receive $138.9 million in federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to do so.

Last month, Senate Democrats forced a vote on the bills to help Michigan workers, but it failed on a party line vote. Senate Democrats will continue to fight for our unemployed workers, and we encourage you to get involved and let the Republican Senators know that Michigan can’t afford not to accept this help. A new Facebook Cause Page was launched today to gather support for this issue, and you can join here: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/317737.

Senate Democrats also recently launched a website calling for action on this unemployment modernization plan that twenty-seven other states have already approved to receive the funding allocated to them. The site, www.senate.michigan.gov/dem/helpmiworkers, encourages visitors to sign a petition and contact Republican Senators to demand support for the legislation. Please take a moment to visit the site and add your name to the list. Senate Democrats will continue to fight for Michigan workers, and with your help, we can pass this legislation and secure nearly $140 million in federal money for our state’s unemployed.

When I talk with my constituents, one of the most pressing issues on their minds is Michigan’s high unemployment rate. With the closing of auto manufacturing plants, suppliers, and dealerships, many workers are finding themselves without the jobs they had planned to work until retirement. Michigan workers need all the help they can get, and at a time when help is scarce, we should take advantage of every possible opportunity to assist these workers.

The Michigan House of Representatives has approved a plan to modernize our unemployment system with $138.9 million in federal stimulus funds for unemployed workers enrolled in a state-approved training program (I introduced the Senate version of this), and part-time workers who have lost their jobs. However, the Republican-controlled State Senate has yet to allow a vote to secure the funding, and without fast action, Michigan risks losing the money. While stimulus dollars are only a temporary solution, they will help our workers support themselves while looking for full time work or participating in training programs for high-demand fields such as technology, alternative energy, and health care.

Helping Michigan families survive this economic downturn has been my focus in the state senate, and I’ve fought for funding for the No Worker Left Behind program as well as the Hire Michigan First package of bills that recently passed. I also recently voted to pass legislation that would give additional protection to homeowners facing foreclosure. Here we have another opportunity to help families and boost the economy, and my colleagues across the aisle are sitting idly by.

We need your help to make sure that the Senate Majority follows the House’s lead and makes the passage of this important legislation to help Michigan workers a priority. My fellow Senate Democrats and I are requesting Michigan residents to take action and log onto the new “Help MI Workers” Web site at http://www.senate.michigan.gov/dem/helpmiworkers/. You can sign an online petition encouraging the Senate Republicans to pass this legislation, providing a lifeline to Michigan citizens struggling from the devastation of unemployment. You can also find information to contact them directly. Michigan’s unemployed need your help––log on to Help MI Workers and stand up for our state’s struggling workforce today.

Last year, the Michigan Legislature approved the country’s most aggressive incentive package for the film and digital media industries with overwhelming support. Now these incentives are under fire from some who say they are “too successful.” Those arguments are shortsighted. Instead of capping these incentives I believe that we should let them continue working and bringing new jobs and industries to Michigan.

Michigan is reaping benefits from these new film incentives.  We’ve seen 136 applications for productions, 71 were approved and 35 were completed by the end of 2008. All of that happened in just the first year of the film incentives.

Just this year we have heard about new movie deals and new studios coming into our state. Southfield-based Parallax Productions signed a deal with New Castle Entertainment to create several movies worth as much as $60 million. In early April a new $146 million dollar studio complex was announced for Allen Park.  Two other studios are slated to open in the next year, and short term training programs are being offered by community colleges and universities.

Yes the state has collected taxes and yes we have paid incentive money back to these productions. This is what film incentive critics focus on: the money the state pays back to productions. What the critics fail to consider is the money that comes into our communities from these same productions. The local trophy shop that provided trophies for a movie about high school students, the hotel rooms and homes that are rented for actors, the locals who are hired for extras, the caterers that provide food, and the list will only grow longer if we just let these film incentives work.  Hollywood is very good at acting quickly, investing heavily, and promoting globally. We are courting this industry to jar our state off of its sole dependence on the auto industry and it is working.

At least one of our neighbors, Ohio, is looking at our film incentives and trying to figure out how they can do better. Ohio is facing a $7.5 billion deficit over the next two fiscal years. And yet they are seriously trying to adopt any incentive package that might compete with ours. Ohio lawmakers understand that film incentives could be a critical investment to diversify their economy.

That is the point of the film incentives and that is what they are doing for Michigan: diversifying our economy and creating new jobs and opportunities. The film industry is animation and special effects studios, digital media, and gaming consoles. These are the jobs of the future that will keep our young people here and draw talented newcomers into Michigan.