Reps. Barnett, Liss, Haase, Robert Jones, Lipton, Stanley, Segal, Lindberg, Lemmons, Young, Slavens, Kandrevas, Corriveau, Donigan, Roberts, Valentine, Polidori, Tlaib, LeBlanc, Nathan, Bettie Scott, Roy Schmidt, Geiss, Simpson, Byrum, Kennedy, McDowell, Melton, Meadows, Clemente, Scripps, Griffin, Smith, Warren, Byrnes, Coulouris, Mayes, Womack, Gregory, Dillon, Espinoza, Constan, Leland, Neumann, Lahti, Haugh, Terry Brown, Bauer, Miller, Slezak, Jackson, Huckleberry, Lisa Brown, Durhal, Angerer, Sheltrown, Spade, Switalski, Ebli, Dean, Gonzales and Cushingberry offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 150.

            A resolution to memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact legislation prohibiting states with levels of unemployment that exceed the national average from being donor states.

            Whereas, Michigan has been buffeted by the tumultuous forces of global economic change, volatile energy costs, and turmoil in the financial markets. This confluence of forces has been particularity hard on the manufacturing sector which has long been the bulwark of Michigan's economy. As a result, Michigan has led the nation in unemployment, all the while being a donor state when it comes to federal investment and reimbursement funding. Clearly the Great Lakes State has been paying more than its fair share at a time when it can afford it the least; and

            Whereas, As of July 2009, Michigan's unemployment rate of 15% continues to lead the nation. In fact, the state's unemployment rate has led the nation for 26 of the last 27 months, and has exceeded the national average by more than 50% for most of this decade. Despite years of effort to diversify our state economy and streamline industrial and manufacturing operations, Michigan has been stuck in an economic whirlpool. Efforts to revitalize our economy, such as the recent economic recovery package and a host of other state-level development programs will take time to see fruition, but in the meantime Michigan is one of the nation's largest donor states when it comes to federal revenue returns; and

            Whereas, Indeed, Michigan, and many of the Midwestern states, have long been donor states when it comes to federal highway funding, military spending, and a number of other federal programs that could go a long way toward jumpstarting the state economy. In the classic example of highway funding, since the mid-1950's when the interstate highway system was created, Michigan has been a donor state for transportation funding. Michigan contributes a greater proportionate share to the Federal Highway Trust Fund than the share of federal highway transportation funds returned to Michigan. Currently, Michigan receives 92% of the share of the federal tax revenue that the state generates.  Simple fairness and equity demand that states, like Michigan, with extraordinarily high unemployment rates should not also be donor states; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we hereby memorialize the Congress of the United States to enact legislation prohibiting states with levels of unemployment that exceed the national average from being donor states; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.