Tagged: state of the state 2012

Governor Rick Snyder used his 2012 State of the State speech last night to strike an optimistic tone about Michigan’s future, and to refocus attention on what he says is unfinished business from last year.

In his second State of the State address, Governor Snyder got to start off with some good news – Michigan’s unemployment rate fell in the final month of 2011 to the lowest it’s been in over three years.

“Unemployment in the last 12 months has dropped from 11.1 percent to 9.3percent," the Governor said to applause.

And Snyder says that’s evidence his strategy of “relentless positive action” – he used his trademark phrase twice in the speech – is working.

Now a fair amount of that drop is because so many people have quit looking for jobs that they’ve dropped out of the workforce. Adding those people, as well as those who are working part-time but wishing for full-time jobs puts Michigan’s rate of unemployment and under-employment closer to 19 percent.

But, despite lingering challenges, the governor says things are moving in the right direction: Michigan’s finances are looking up, and he says 2012 should be a time to build on the successes of 2011.

“We are on that path. We’re getting it right. We are getting it done.”

From the Associated Press:

An upbeat Gov. Rick Snyder says Michigan now is adding jobs and living within its means and is poised for an even better year ahead if lawmakers approve new projects boosting the economy such as a bridge linking Detroit and Canada.

Snyder made the comments during his second State of the State address Wednesday at the Capitol.

Get those "RPA" numbers up!

The Michigan Governor who loves to tout "relentless positive action" as a descriptor for his form of governing has turned to YouTube to give us a preview of his second State of the State address tonight.

In an upbeat tone, Governor Snyder says his speech will be an "honest assessment about how Michigan is doing. And the good part is we're doing well. We are reinventing our state. We're making a major comeback."

In 2012, Snyder says his focus will be about implementing good government, "what you deserve is to have a good government that's implemented well... I'm truly excited and we're going to keep moving forward with relentless positive action."

Governor Snyder is preparing to deliver his second State of the State address tonight. Snyder will deliver the address from the House floor at the Capitol building in Lansing and preparations for the evening are already underway, the Grand Rapids Press reports:

Crews already are working to reconfigure the House floor, which is the largest room in the Capitol and normally serves as the workplace for 110 state representatives and some staff members.

For the speech, representatives are allowed to bring a guest – typically a relative or community leader – and are joined by the members of the state Senate, the Supreme Court and department heads. Once you add 100 members of the media, the crowd comes to about 600. It fills the chamber’s floor, gallery and two adjoining rooms, said Ari Adler, spokesman for House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall. “It’s not for the claustrophobic,” he said.

The representatives’ desks don’t move easily, tethered electronically for voting and communications, so workers are expected to spend much of the day removing other furniture and bringing in chairs to accommodate guests and dignitaries.

And, what should we expect to hear from the Governor? Rick Pluta reported from Lansing earlier this week that the Governor says he will use this year's address to report back to the Legislature and the citizens of Michigan on the state’s progress over the past year. "The governor promises the speech will be a frank assessment of where his goal of ‘reinventing Michigan’ stands. The governor says people can expect fewer new initiatives for the Legislature to tackle this year in his second State of the State address. He says more of the focus will be on how he intends to manage the executive branch of state government," Pluta explains.

Michigan Radio will have live, special coverage of the address, including analysis of the speech and a Democratic response, beginning tonight at 7 p.m.

Governor Rick Snyder will outline his plans for 2012 later this week when he delivers his second State of the State address.

Last year, Governor Snyder won legislative approval of a lot of new initiatives – a tax overhaul; toughening the state’s local emergency manager law; and ending the requirement that stores put a price tag on every retail item.

Other efforts, such as a new international bridge in Detroit, stalled in the face of Republican opposition.

The governor says his State of the State speech will be a frank accounting of his first year, but will also reflect his optimistic approach to governing.

The former CEO intends to focus more this year on implementing policies and his plans for managing the executive branch than putting new initiatives before the Legislature.

The governor says he will continue to push to make Michigan more business-friendly.

Michigan Radio will have live, special coverage of the Governor's second State of the State address beginning Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.

The Michigan Legislature began the new session this week, and with Gov. Rick Snyder scheduled to deliver his second State of the State address, the agenda for state government is underway.

Michigan Radio's Jennifer White asks, what kind of relationship might we see between the Governor and the legislature this year?

She spoke with Susan Demas, political analyst for Michigan Information and Research Service, and Ken Sikkema, former Senate Majority Leader and Senior Policy Fellow at Public Sector Consultants.