LANSING – State Representative Richard E. Hammel (D-Mt. Morris Township) praised the passage of a plan to authorize $2.1 billion in federal stimulus spending across 10 state departments to help create jobs and stimulate the economy. Nearly $345 million of the package was approved by Hammel's Economic Development Subcommittee to promote energy efficiency, job retraining services, and workforce development programs. The plan now moves to the Senate.
"These funds come at a time when our economy is in crisis, and people everywhere are hurting," said Hammel, Vice-Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. "It's important that we take advantage of this one-time opportunity to lay the groundwork for programs that will get people back on the job and get our economy going again. I fought to streamline these funds and get them quickly to local governments – who know where these funds could best be used."
The federal funding, which is provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will bolster Michigan's economy by directing federal funds to shovel-ready weatherization and energy efficiency projects in order to create thousands of jobs, as well as supporting necessary services to help more residents in need.
Under Hammel's direction, nearly $345 million of the federal funding will go toward energy efficiency and workforce development programs designed to get people back on the job. These include investments in Michigan's No Worker Left Behind program, which has helped 51,000 people across the state obtain new skills in order to rejoin the workforce; $82 million to help the state improve energy efficiency; and funding for Michigan's energy efficiency block grant program, which will help local units of government run energy programs designed to create jobs, reduce energy consumption and cut fossil fuel emissions. Genesee County will receive nearly $4 million in funding for these grants.
"We are extremely excited about the opportunities these dollars represent for the residents in Genesee and Shiawassee Counties," said Alicia Booker of Career Alliance, an organization that will receive more than $8 million in stimulus funding to promote workforce development programs that help get Michigan residents back on the job. "As we watch our area's unemployment rates rise to record levels, we have worked diligently to retool our workforce with the skills they need to be competitive. These American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will help us make a substantive contribution to the diversification of our state's economy."