Economic Development Bill that Benefits Maine Passes the House

Dear Fellow Mainer:

Since I came to Congress, I've been pushing to pass legislation that would create a regional economic development commission to directly invest in our region's economy, in order to create jobs and new business opportunities. I originally wrote the bill three years ago, and I've been working with a bipartisan group of lawmakers from our region to get it passed. Today, we took a major step forward by passing the Regional Economic and Infrastructure Development Act of 2007 - a bill which contains my Northern Border Regional Commission - in the House of Representatives.

The Commission created in this bill would bring investment, leadership, and focus to regional economic development efforts. It would be charged with investing $40 million per year - rising to $60 million per year by 2012 - in federal resources for economic development and job creation in the most economically distressed areas of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

We have all seen the story repeated in our state: traditional manufacturing industries in trouble, jobs disappearing, and young people leaving home to look for opportunity elsewhere. In fact, in the whole Northern Border region, we have seen a clear, persistent pattern of economic distress. If you look at the 36 counties that lie on the border or right next to the border between Maine and Cayuga County, New York, you find: poverty above the national average,
median household income that is more than $6500 below the national average,
persistent unemployment through layoffs in traditional manufacturing industries,
and most striking of all, a meager gain of only 0.6% in population between 1990 and 2000, compared to 13% growth nationally over the same period.

Clearly, our region has a common set of challenges, and a compelling need for investment and new growth. But we also know that we have a lot going for us, and a real chance to create a stronger economy. We have a highly trained and capable work force, incredible natural resources, and a tradition of hard work and excellence that has sustained our economy for generations. The opportunity is there.

Creating a regional commission would give us the chance to look at economic development in a whole new way: as a challenge that we can tackle together as a region. Federal investment in our region would help us capitalize on our great assets to create jobs and build our economy. We know that we have all the tools we need in our state and our region to build a bright future for our children - I want to make sure that the federal government gives us the investment we need to make this future a reality.

Using this investment, we can build needed infrastructure, help develop new opportunities for small businesses, create new energy technologies, and capitalize on the value of our incredible natural resource base. We can keep Maine "the way life should be."

If you would like more information on the Northern Border Regional Commission, please visit my website at michaud.house.gov. I am hopeful that this bill will be considered in the Senate next, and I will be sure to keep you up to date as this bill continues through the legislative process.

Click here to see video of my remarks

Sincerely,Mike Michaud
Member of Congress