LANSING – Governor Rick Snyder called on business leaders to hound members of Congress over a new customs plaza for New International Trade Crossing as he presented his administration’s triumphs to a Detroit Regional Chamber luncheon last Friday.
The address was what has become the governor’s annual presentation to the Chamber after he presents his budget to the Legislature.
Much of the speech echoed themes from his State of the State and budget presentations.
“We’re a state for many not years but generations, we’re used to shrinking,” he said. “Now we’re not shrinking, we’re growing.”
Snyder said attendees at the Chamber’s annual Mackinac Policy Conference are reflecting the changes in the state. “It’s like comparing night versus day about the excitement people feel,” he said of attitudes at his first conference and at the most recent conference last spring.
But he said trade will be key to continuing the growth, and he said the new bridge to Canada is needed to keep that trade flowing.
“We’re on a path to get a bridge done by 2020,” he said. “The issue we have is the customs plaza.”
Federal officials have so far resisted the idea that the federal government should pay for the new facility, Snyder has said.
“The U.S. government that will use this plaza to protect the U.S. has said they don’t want to pay for the plaza nor do they want to pay rent for the plaza,” he said.
He urged leaders to call members of Congress to pressure the Department of Homeland Security to put the plaza in its budget.
Snyder also urged those attending to join a new program for training workers.
The state’s continued growth will depend on providing the workers to fill growing job sectors. As part of that effort, he touted the Michigan Advanced Technician Training, a three-year program through Henry Ford and Oakland community colleges that allows participants to earn an associate’s degree paid for by their employer. They commit to remain with the employer for a minimum period after graduating in exchange.
The program is currently limited to those schools and to the fields of mechatronics, product design, and information technology. Snyder urged business leaders to work with colleges to expand the program to other institutions and to other fields.
While the state has gained population for the last two years, according to U.S. Census estimates, Mr. Snyder said the state has to continue improving its economy and creating jobs to attract those who moved out over the last decade.
“We want those kids to come back and stay in Michigan and have families in Michigan,” he said. “It’s all about jobs and kids.”
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