Senator Nancy Cassis :: 15th District

Senate Republican Priorities
and Achievements

Budget: Right-sizing government and Growing Michigan's Economy

The first step to government's economic recovery is an honest acknowledgement of the crisis. Denial is no longer an option, and reliance on tired old solutions and political rhetoric will not change our fortunes. Staying the course is only going to make matters worse and prolong our journey to the road to recovery. (more)

Elimination of MBT Surcharge

Senate Republicans sent a message this year to Michigan job providers to let them know how important they are to re-energizing our state's economy. We encouraged them to keep their businesses here with our recent passage of a bill to eliminate the onerous Michigan Business Tax surcharge. Senate Bill 1 phases out the 21.99 percent MBT surcharge over a two-year period - cutting the surcharge by half to 11 percent in 2009 and eliminating it by 2010. (more)

Workforce Training and Jobs

With our state's unemployment rate nearly 50 percent higher than the rest of the country, we must do everything we can to help put people back to work and facilitate job creation. Michigan has been in a one-state recession for the past six years and our state's economy is undergoing a change that is fundamental and long lasting. As this process plays out, the need to have a trained and capable workforce will grow and remain a top consideration for employers and entrepreneurs deciding where they want to locate. (more)

Health Care Reforms

Currently, Michigan is home to an estimated 1.1 million residents who do not have health insurance, which is equal to 11.5 percent of the state's population. This number is likely to increase unless the economy improves.

Michigan Senate Republicans understand many residents are afraid that they may not be able to afford health insurance. In the last legislative session we tried to address these concerns before they became an issue for the people of Michigan, but unfortunately, the House did not agree. (more)

Eliminate Bureaucracy

Senate Republicans will continue to do everything to make our state a leader in the nation for job growth. One of the most important factors a business considers when deciding where to locate or expand its operations is the time, cost, and ease of compliance associated with a state's regulatory climate.

Senate Republicans will continue our fight to eliminate bureaucracy and make Michigan an inviting place to do business. We will work with job providers to reform the regulatory structure in Michigan and to put pressure on the administration when the actions of a department are costing us precious jobs. (more)

An Agenda for Strong Schools

Senate Republicans firmly believe that the success of our great state will depend almost entirely on whether Michigan has the kind of education system that provides our children and future generations with the skills to succeed in the fiercely competitive and ever-evolving global economy. Literally and figuratively, we simply cannot afford an education model that has grown out of a 20th century industrial and agrarian society. Just as we must diversify our economy, we must challenge ourselves to innovate and to create a diverse and comprehensive approach to educating our children. We are focused and committed to a long-range plan to build strong schools that reflect a dynamic, efficient and high-performance 21st century learning environment. (more)

Protecting Water and Natural Resources

Michigan's natural resources are one of the state's most valuable assets. It is imperative that they be preserved and protected. Senate Republicans will continue our strong leadership role in protecting our water and our environment.

Efforts to conserve Michigan's natural resources are not new for Senate Republicans. For more than five years, we have been leading the way to develop proactive legislation to protect the Great Lakes, promote alternative energy, and expand recycling in Michigan. (more)

Keeping People in Their Homes

Senate Republicans will take action to ensure families are not taxed out of their homes in these tough economic times.

Property values in Michigan have declined steadily over the past two years. Most homeowners have seen the values of their homes drop 15 percent to 25 percent. Property taxes, however, have actually increased over the same period.

We will lead the charge to fix the constitutional provision that allows property taxes to increase while the value of your home decreases. (more)

Making Neighborhoods Safe

Senate Republicans served on a bipartisan workgroup comprised of members of the governor's administration, the House, and the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center to determine how the state might reduce corrections spending while reinvesting in measures that will make communities safer and stronger. The workgroup produced a bipartisan package of policy options that gives Michigan a real chance to achieve needed cost savings and prevents crime at the same time. (more)

From the Senate Floor

Michigan Senate Republicans Floor Statements

Senator Cropsey refutes false statements by the governor and other democrats that the Senate has not acted on revenue generating legislation for the K12 budget.

Recent Blogs from Senate Republicans

The leaves have all fallen from the trees, the temperatures are dropping and soon the snow will be flying it must be time for one of my favorite holidays: Thanksgiving. (read)

Senator Cassis says she would rather have Lansing shift focus from helping Hollywood to giving small business a hand.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

From the Detroit News: Filmmaker gives Michigan's incentives 4 stars

BY CAROL CAIN
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

He isn't paying much attention to the debate smoldering behind the scenes of the state's nearly year-old film incentives, but Sam Kadi can tell you they have helped him immensely.

Kadi's been making movies in Michigan the past few years -- his newest short film "Raised Alone" is to make its debut at the Maple Theatre in Birmingham on March 24.

The effort, the latest from his company, Samer K Productions Inc., is one of the first to take advantage of Michigan's film incentives intended to provide a more attractive business climate for moviemakers with a goal of more jobs for a state in desperate need of nonautomotive business.

Kadi is the writer, producer and director of "Raised Alone," a short drama (36 minutes) about the relationship between a father and son who plays the violin.

He hesitates to say precisely how much he spent on it (or, rather, raised from his investors) other than to say it exceeded the $50,000 threshold the state set to qualify for some incentives.

He is in the process of selling his first full-length feature film to investors -- many outside the state. He describes it as a drama.

Once the financial backing is secure, he hopes to shoot it in Michigan.

"This is my home. Why would I want to film anywhere else?" he said.

He added the budding film business is helping him in his bid to secure investors as more stars are taking a look at the state as a result of its incentives, which are the largest in the nation.

Clint Eastwood, Drew Barrymore, Sigourney Weaver, George Clooney and Hilary Swank have filmed in Michigan, building interest in the state's budding film business.

Controversial move

Despite the stars, not everyone is applauding the incentives.

The Michigan Film Office reported last week that filmmakers qualified for $48 million in payments from the state during the first 10 months of the incentive program.

The report said about $125 million was spent on the projects, although an economic analysis commissioned by the state's Film Office said project spending totaled $65.4 million. The report didn't say how the incentives are affecting the state budget.

State Sen. Nancy Cassis, R-Novi, the state Senate Finance Committee chairwoman, doesn't like that some out-of-state producers are getting rebate checks from the state for filming here at the same time many small businesses are being hit by the surcharge added to the Michigan Business Tax also adopted by state legislators last year.

She said she would rather have Lansing shift focus from helping Hollywood to giving small business a hand.

"This is a matter of robbing Peter -- the hardworking Michigander -- and paying Paul -- the slick Hollywood filmmaker," Cassis said.

Those in favor

Supporters of the incentives say the total number of approved movies will result in an estimated $435.7 million in sales and revenue for Michigan businesses.

"It's been a tremendous asset," said Robert Ficano, Wayne County executive. "The real meat and potatoes are the filming crews and structural buildings that are being talked about."

Indeed, there's talk about opening a facility in Allen Park.

Out Oakland County way, mall developer A. Alfred Taubman is involved with bringing a studio to Pontiac at the idled GM Centerpoint truck plant.

Ficano said he believes the film incentives have proved that lowering costs is an effective way to generate interest and should be used for other businesses.

And Kadi is here to report from his front-row seat that the incentives carry weight with his investors.

"The tax incentive is a huge motivation to bring money in from out-of-state investors," Kadi said.

The challenge now, said Kadi, is beefing up the postproduction skills of the area to keep up with demand and keep that work in the state.

"Michigan is used to commercial and industrial production rather than making movies," he said. "But I think that is starting to turn."

CAROL CAIN hosts "Michigan Matters" at 11 a.m. Sundays on WWJ-TV. Cain can be reached at 313-222-6732 or clcain@cbs.com.