That’s just a partial list of the economic development schemes we’ve tried in this state over the past several years. Just when you thought the public relations folks had run out of catchy names, they came up with Make it in Michigan. Whatever you call it, it’s the same failed concept—giving tax dollars to massive corporations, some of the most profitable corporations in the world, often foreign companies, in the hopes they’ll create more jobs in Michigan. This is like trying to paint over the name Titanic on the bow before the ship goes under. Change the name; doesn’t change the outcome. Rearranging the chairs on the deck doesn’t change the outcome.
By now we have decades of evidence that these corporate handouts simply do not work. Just last week in fact, Bridge magazine, Bridge Michigan, published a story indicating four in ten jobs created by our current economic development scheme ended up paying less than the median salary in the state. We’ve brought up the reason why SOAR was created originally: because they went to a state that had no income tax, lower energy costs, and was a right-to-work state—that it’s actually in their state constitution now.
Mr. President, I don’t know how many layers of lipstick are on this pig by now, but it’s still a pig and it’s still long past time we put it out to pasture. I thank my colleagues who voted “no.”
The Assistant President pro tempore, Senator Geiss, resumed the Chair.
Senator Singh moved that the Senate proceed to consideration of the following bill:
Senate Bill No. 600
The motion prevailed.
The following bill was read a third time:
Senate Bill No. 600, entitled
A bill to amend 1927 PA 175, entitled “The code of criminal procedure,” by amending section 16g of chapter XVII (MCL 777.16g), as amended by 2023 PA 278.
The question being on the passage of the bill,
The bill was passed, a majority of the members serving voting therefor, as follows: