Legislative Update

from Government Relations

October 14, 2008

Benzie County Joins Regional Chamber Alliance

The Northwest Michigan Regional Chamber Alliance has announced the addition of the Benzie County Chamber of Commerce as the latest chamber to join the Alliance.   Benzie County joins chambers of commerce from Traverse City, Cadillac, Charlevoix, Petoskey and Gaylord-Otsego County as part of the Alliance, which now represents over 5,300 chamber members over nine counties in northwest Michigan.

The addition of Benzie County as part of the Alliance solidifies the footprint of northwest Michigan as a strong voice for job providers in the region.  The Alliance represents the legislative priorities of northwest Michigan on state and federal issues.  With northwest Michigan continuing to grow in population and economic significance, it is important the region come together and advocate on issues of mutual importance.

Community College Training Partnership Passes Senate

Legislation that creates an innovative workforce training program to assist job providers was passed by the Senate during their last week of session prior to the October election break.  The bill now must be considered by the House of Representatives.

The Michigan New Jobs Training Program is a progressive way for community colleges to partner with Michigan companies to get the training they need, create local jobs, and grow their business.  The plan allows community colleges and employers to enter into partnerships to identify training needs and enter into an agreement to train an employer’s new workers.  The program provides a flexible way for northern Michigan and the rest of the state to meet a variety of training and development needs. 

The Chamber supports the legislation and will continue to advocate for its passage prior to the end of the legislative year.  Senate Bills 1342-1343 can be found at www.mileg.org.

Water Withdrawal Assessment Tool Available Online

As part of the recent water protection legislation that accompanied the adoption of the Great Lakes Compact, there was a requirement that a specialized water withdrawal tool be designed to assess the likelihood of an impact to the state’s water resources by a specific water withdrawal.  This new water withdrawal assessment tool (WWAT) is now available online to the public for testing and comment.

The assessment tool was developed in an effort between the U.S. Geological Survey, Michigan State University, and the Michigan Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality.  The tool can be found at www.miwwat.org.