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Lynch Welcomes Incentives to Boost State Economy

New Hampshire – Two new incentives show promise for helping New Hampshire compete in a challenging economy. The first has awarded employee training grants worth $387,000 to 11 companies in the state. The grants come from the Job Training Fund, which was reestablished in the fall of 2007. “In every part of New Hampshire, business leaders tell me that they have the products, that they have the customers, but they need more skilled workers if their businesses are to stay and grow in New Hampshire,” says Governor John Lynch. The second is a proposal backed by Gov. Lynch, which would give a business that creates a job in Coos County a $1,000 credit against its business taxes for each of the next five years, so long as the job pays at least twice the minimum wage. Most new businesses would pay no business taxes for their first five years. Existing businesses in Coos County would be eligible for new jobs they create.
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CAMPAIGN NEWS

WA – Gregoire Delivers Results. Four more years. The chant followed Gov. Chris Gregoire on a three-city tour, the first leg of her re-election campaign kickoff. During six stops, she emphasized her role as someone who gets things done for the environment, the economy, health care and safety. On unemployment, she emphasized that the state has gone from the highest unemployment rate in the nation – tied with Oregon – to the lowest in the state’s history. “When I came, I set a goal. Let’s put Washington state and its people back to work,” she said. “That goal has been met – 225,000 new jobs have been created over the last four years.”
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WV – Manchin Fundraising Far Surpasses Opponents. The two men running against Gov. Joe Manchin have some catching up to do on the fundraising front. Manchin amassed more than $2.2 million for his re-election effort as of late March. Manchin faces a freshman delegate in the May 13 Democratic primary who has raised $450 and loaned his campaign $10,000. A Republican former state senator raised $4,385.
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GENERAL NEWS

CO – Ritter Improves Access to Contacts in State Government. Do you have a question relating to the state government, but don’t know whom you need to contact? Do you want to contact the right department, division or office the first time you call? The Department of Personnel and Administration in collaboration with Colorado.gov, the state’s official web portal, have introduced the Contact Compass service, which will help point you in the right direction. “With services like Contact Compass, Colorado is using the latest technology to advance customer service,” said Gov. Bill Ritter. “This convenient, user-friendly service will not only aid Colorado’s citizens in finding the agencies or services they are seeking, but will advance our efficiency in government efforts.”
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IL – Blagojevich Encourages Taxpayers to Go Green. In the final weeks of tax season, Gov. Rod Blagojevich encouraged Illinois taxpayers to Go Green and file their taxes electronically. By saving paper, taxpayers help reduce the amount of trash going into landfills, and also reduce energy use and pollution associated with manufacturing, transporting and recycling new paper products. “Most Illinoisans aren’t necessarily thinking about the environment when they file their taxes,” said Blagojevich. “Every year more Illinoisans file electronically because it is faster and easier. But today we encourage Illinoisans, as they consider their deductions, to Go Green and file electronically.”
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IA – Culver Praises Ranking on Children’s Well-Being. Iowa is first in the Midwest and seventh nationally in children’s well-being. “This report proves that in Iowa we are doing things right,” said Gov. Chet Culver, done by Every Child Matters Education Fund. The study took into account 10 factors, including child-mortality rates, access to prenatal care, and the number of uninsured children in each state. Approximately 6.2 percent of children are without health insurance in Iowa, putting Iowa at sixth in the nation. This low percentage is thanks, in part, to Hawk-I, a program that provides health insurance for children whose parents would otherwise be unable to afford it.
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MD – O’Malley Ends Session With Progress. The General Assembly adjourned after an annual session that saw the passage of new protections for homeowners against foreclosures and new funding for consumer energy efficiency incentives. Among the hundreds of bills that moved through the legislature before adjournment were measures to expand the state’s DNA database used to investigate criminal cases, to govern growth arising from a national military base realignment that is expected to bring an influx of soldiers and contractors to Maryland, and a bill outlawing slot-like electronic gambling devices. “This has been a session of very real and steady progress for the people of Maryland, even in these difficult times,” said Gov. Martin O’Malley. “This has been a tough few months, but we have come together.”
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MI – Granholm Signs Film Incentives Legislation. Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed bills in Lansing and Detroit aimed at bringing Michigan to the forefront of the film industry. Granholm offered aggressive financial incentives to filmmakers, including a 40 percent tax credit, the highest in the country, for producing films in Michigan, with an added 2 percent rebate for films produced in one of 103 core communities, including Holland. Granholm said the 14-bill package was designed not only to increase the number of productions filmed on location in Michigan, but also to attract production facilities, grow industry activities that support film production, create jobs, and train workers for those jobs.
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NJ – Corzine to Sign Family Leave Bill. New Jersey legislators approved a family paid leave bill, the third state in the nation to do so. The bill allows for six weeks of paid leave when a worker’s child is born. Workers who apply are entitled to two-thirds of their salaries with a maximum payment of $524 a week. Gov. Jon Corzine, whose three children stayed by his side through an 18-day hospitalization a year ago, has said he will sign the bill. “I feel actually more strongly in the context of my own experience that people are served well by having their family near them and supportive of them in periods of great stress,” he said.
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OH – Strickland Energetic About Future. Gov. Ted Strickland hopes his proposed $1.57 billion economic development plan will help create thousands of jobs in areas of the struggling state economy that show strong promise for growth. But Ohio’s longtime economic bread and butter sector, manufacturing, will not be forgotten, he said, after a tour of coal boilermaker Babcock & Wilcox Power Plant Generation Group’s new, state-of-the-art research center. “Manufacturing will always be a part of Ohio’s economy. Manufacturing will change, I think, and is changing, but we can’t give up on manufacturing,’’ Strickland said. But Ohio’s greatest job growth may come from other industries, he said. ‘’I think the area of greatest potential right now is energy,’’ Strickland said. The energy-related portion of Strickland’s economic stimulus package is why he came to B&W, which added 360 new jobs in 2007 and is poised to hire even more people this year as demand for its power-plant related products and services grow. The package calls for investing as much as $250 million in the energy industry, including research.
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VA – Kaine Signs Legislation on Military, Veterans Issues. Gov. Tim Kaine has ceremonially signed several General Assembly bills providing support and assistance to military personnel, veterans and their families, demonstrating Virginia’s continued bipartisan support for active duty service members, Guardsmen and Reservists, veterans and their families. “Our Commonwealth has a long history of being a military-friendly state, and today Virginia is proud to be home to over 245,525 military and Department of Defense civilians and 810,000 veterans,” Kaine said. “These bills take important steps toward improving the lives of those who have served or are serving our country, as well as their families.”
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WI – Doyle Signs Agricultural Education and Workforce Development Council Bill. A program that attempts to address the projected shortfalls the workforce needs to fuel Wisconsin agriculture has now become law. Gov. Jim Doyle signed the Agricultural Education and Workforce Development Council bill which creates a private-public partnership to be known as the Agricultural Education and Workforce Development Council within the Department of Agriculture.
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