"No Justice Loot, No Peace?"

From MichiganVotes.org:

2010 House Bill 6155 (Require MDOT and local government "community benefit" agreements)
Introduced by Rep. Coleman Young (D) on May 10, 2010, to require the Department of Transportation to enter "community benefits" agreements with local governments and/or "community representatives" (presumably from labor, environmental, and faith-based organizations, although the term is not defined) when undertaking large projects (such as the new Detroit River International Crossing or "DRIC"). The bill suggests that such “benefits” might include such things as paying higher-than-market wages on projects, increased state spending for additional welfare-like benefits in the area such as subsidized housing or health services, plus subsidies to local businesses, new recreational or other facilities, etc. They might also include additional state spending on environmental or aesthetic impact mitigations such as buffers, sound walls, etc.

2010 House Bill 6128 (Require MDOT advise and support DRIC "community representatives")
Introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D) on May 4, 2010, to require the Michigan Department of Transportation to give advice and support to "community representatives" (presumably from labor, environmental, and faith-based organizations, although the term is not defined) in negotiating "community benefit agreements" with the private developer of a new Detroit River bridge (who also would be an MDOT contractor). The bill does not actually require the developer to conclude such an agreement, however.

Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.