Historically, canaries were used to detect the levels of any dangerous gas buildups in coal mines, signaling to workers whether it was safe to enter. If the canary was heard singing, work would move forward, if there was silence, you did not enter. The rate of infant mortality is like the canary in the coal mine. It is an overall indicator of the quality of life in an area by telling us the health and well-being of the state’s most vulnerable population—infants. And in Michigan, the canary continues to be silenced.

According to a new League fact sheet, Michigan’s infant mortality rate has been higher than the national average over the last 20 years, at 7.5, as of 2009. The rate is determined by deaths under 1 year of age per 1,000 live births. The measure is associated with maternal health, quality of and access to health care, and socioeconomic conditions. The rate is also being used on the governor’s MiDashboard as an overall indicator of health in the state and is a key indicator for the Michigan Department of Community Health for their statewide health needs assessment.

Risk for infant mortality increases under the following conditions:

• Women living in poverty are far more likely to have preterm and low-birthweight babies.
• Research has connected factors including smoking, low maternal pre-pregnancy weight, single motherhood, socioeconomic status and race to low-birthweight.
• A mother who was a low-birthweight baby herself is four times more likely to have a low-birthweight baby.
• In 2008, almost a third of women in Michigan who gave birth had less than adequate prenatal care, measured by the month care began and the number of prenatal visits.
• More than four of every five Michigan teenagers under the age 18 who gave birth over the decade did not intend nor wish to have a child, increasing the risk of an unhealthy environment for an infant.

Infant mortality is also used to identify health disparities among populations across socioeconomic status and race. The rate among African American mothers has remained triple to that of white mothers over the last 30 years.

With infant mortality being a key indicator for overall health, well-being and disparities across populations, you would think that programs that reduce the risks would be wholeheartedly supported.

Reducing infant mortality rates in Michigan may be on the governor’s MiDashboard, but cuts to programs that target at-risk mothers, such as the elimination of the Department of Human Services’ 0 to 3 Secondary Prevention program, say otherwise. By supporting policies that protect our most vulnerable residents, the closer the state can become to improving the quality of life for everyone. It’s time to see the benefits of protecting our most vulnerable residents during their first days of life instead of bearing the consequences of what happens after they have been silenced. 

– Anika Fassia

The positive economic impact of welcoming immigrants is echoing across the state. As a daughter of immigrant parents, I feel grateful that our governor is publicly taking a stance against any Arizona-type immigration law in Michigan and speaking on behalf of initiatives that hone in on the importance of rolling out the welcome mat.

Wayne State University hosted, and New Michigan Media sponsored, the first statewide summit on immigration and the economy called Immigration and Michigan’s Future Economy. The summit highlighted data from the Global Detroit Study, documenting the impact of foreign-born residents on the state’s economy. The summit featured New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder among many other speakers.

The take-home messages on the importance of immigrants on Michigan’s economy include:

• Immigrants are responsible for 33 percent of all high-tech startups, making Michigan third among all states in producing new high-tech business opportunities.
• In 2009, the purchasing power of Michigan Asians and Latinos combined, totaled $17.5 billion, an increase of over 300 percent by each population since 1990.
• Immigrants are three times more likely to start a business in Michigan than a native-born resident.
• During the 2008-2009 year, foreign students contributed $592 million to the local economy in tuition, fees and living expenses.

However, to truly roll out the welcome mat it requires more than taking a stance against bad immigration policy and noting how immigrants with advanced degrees will create jobs and invest capital. The administration also needs to focus on positive family policies for all who already live in Michigan, both native and foreign-born. By focusing on family-friendly policies, the state could cultivate an environment of economic growth by supporting residents who in return can better support their local economy. All foreign-born residents in Michigan contribute to the local economy by paying taxes, buying homes and starting businesses.

Rolling out the welcome mat means creating an environment that welcomes and supports all of our residents in Michigan, enabling them to contribute back to the economy and their communities. Let’s take it a step further by not only publicly welcoming everyone, but cultivating an environment that helps them succeed.

– Anika Fassia

A new report done by the Michigan League for Human Services shows two out of five births were paid for by state taxpayers between 2000 and 2009, and local hospitals say this is a cause for concern. July 11, 2011 — UpNorthLive.com

Federal welfare reforms adopted in the mid-1990s limited Temporary Assistance to Needy Families to 60 months of benefits within a lifetime, with certain exceptions. What made the changes reasonably effective and not unduly punitive — including in Michigan under former Gov. John Engler — were significant investments by state and federal governments in child care, education, employment and training programs. July 15, 2011 — Detroit Free Press

The Michigan Senate has approved a four-year limit on cash assistance welfare benefits. The 48-month cap is part of Republican plans to balance the state budget. July 14, 2011 — Interlochen Public Radio

Gov. Rick Snyder on Monday will make his first major policy speech on immigration. Snyder already has signaled his opposition to an Arizona-style immigration bill, saying any such measure would further divide our state. Here’s why that’s a wise position. July 14, 2011 — Detroit Free Press

Information is power, and Michigan needs all the empowerment it can get in order to prepare our workforce for the 21st century economy.

Helping adult learners—low-skill individuals age 25 and older—acquire occupational skills is important to Michigan’s economic development as well as to the individuals themselves. However, our state has a lot of unanswered questions regarding the effectiveness of programs that bring their skills up to speed.

Community colleges, for example, have many adult students in developmental (remedial) education classes because they have not mastered one or more basic skill areas necessary for postsecondary work. Yet we do not have a statewide data system that tells us the success rate of such students in completing their studies and obtaining an occupational credential (i.e. an associate degree or vocational certificate).

We also don’t have a way to track the success rate of adults who go through the adult education system and then go on to postsecondary training. Nor can we track the wage levels of such students after they graduate and find jobs in the workforce. Knowing the answer to these and other questions would help state agencies know how to improve educational services for adult learners—a population the state cannot afford to ignore.

Michigan is able to track individual progress of students as they go through the K-12 system and as such is able to measure and improve the effectiveness of educational services for that population. The K-12 data collection system is not yet formally linked to postsecondary or workforce systems, however.

Having a longitudinal data system that follows each individual through K-12, adult education, postsecondary education, and the Michigan Works! Agencies, and matches this information with wage and employment information, can provide important information about state system effectiveness. Importantly, it can do this without jeopardizing individual privacy.

Gov. Rick Snyder is planning to give a speech this fall on his workforce development plan. It is hoped that his plan will address not only high-skill jobs and workers, but raising the skills of low-skill workers as well. It is also hoped that a comprehensive data collection system will be a key ingredient of this plan.

(More information on this topic can be found in a recent paper by the Michigan League for Human Services, The Key Ingredient: Better Data is Crucial to Building Michigan’s Workforce System.)

– Peter Ruark

July 13, 2011
Contact: Judy Putnam at (517) 487-5436

Statement from Michigan League for Human Services President & CEO Gilda Z. Jacobs on 48-month time limits, House Bills 4409-4410, passing the Senate today.

“It is wrong to take away support from an estimated 25,000 children in our state at a time when unemployment remains very high. We need to be lifting up, not pushing down, families trying to work their way toward self sufficiency.

Under this legislation, Michigan will have the harshest time limits on cash assistance in the Midwest. Most other surrounding states have a 60-month lifetime limit. Only Indiana has a 24-month limit, but it does not apply to children. If families reach the 24-month limit in Indiana, only the cash assistance portion for the parents will be ended. Michigan’s legislation will punish children in the affected 12,600 families.

There were no hearings on the bills in the Senate. It’s callous and disappointing that the Senate would, without a hearing, pass legislation that has such far-reaching consequences for constituents.

The Senate-passed version does allow the Department of Human Services to stop the clock from ticking for those who cannot work or look for work while caring for a disabled spouse or child. This is a positive change from the House-passed version. It recognizes the difficulty families face while caring for a loved one.

The legislation does, however, eliminate common-sense exemptions to the 48 months for parents who are complying with their self-sufficiency plans.

Michigan has the fifth-highest unemployment in the country, and had the highest rate for four years running. Now is not the time to abruptly end support for the most vulnerable children in our state who will be the victims of these policy changes.”

In planning to move to Michigan for my new job, I was just as excited about the house I’d found to rent as I was to work at the League. My house is a fantastic, century-old split-level with natural wood, a huge front porch and three bedrooms. This house is significantly larger than anywhere I have lived before so I decided to finally do something I’ve wanted to for years – pay someone to clean my house!!! I hate to clean (sorry Mom), but I like my house to be clean, so this seems the perfect compromise. Of course, there is also the added bonus that I don’t have to pay taxes on this service. Well, perhaps it is a bonus for me, but what about Michigan’s fragile economy?

If I happened to be a clean freak (like my Mom), I would pay taxes on the items I need for cleaning – the vacuum, mop and bucket, chemical cleaners, sponges and rags, and other cleaning supplies. Having someone clean my house is a luxury, and it costs more than the cleaning supplies themselves. This extra money that I will be spending will go directly into the local economy, but it won’t go into the state coffers. Though Michigan recently passed sweeping tax changes, the taxation of services was not included in the change and so no revenue raised from these expenditures will be available to help pay for education or any of the other important programs that have been the target of budget cuts. 

I pay taxes on the sandwich from the corner shop, but my haircuts, pedicures, car washes, Lugnut’s tickets, and health club membership are all tax free. This seems antiquated considering we now live in a service economy. While 50 years ago the purchase of goods made up the majority of household consumption in American, consumption of services now makes up 45 percent of household purchases. Though Michigan could see an additional $3 billion a year in revenue, expenditures on services are not taxed and thus are not helping our state get essential funding in these dire times.

So, what is the difference between taxing sales and taxing services? The difference for me is that now, when I can finally afford to pay someone to clean my house, a larger percentage of my income is not taxed. But I was not always this financially stable, and every extra dollar I spent was on essential items like gas and clothes, all of which are taxed. Poor people often can’t afford services and spend most of their money on goods that are subject to sales tax. This means that they spend between 6 percent and 7 percent of their income on sales tax while those in a better financial position, free from being taxed on the “luxuries,” pay 4 percent or less of their income in sales tax. 

The real difference then between the taxing of sales and services is that the less money I make, the more likely that the things I spend my money on will be taxed. Conversely, the more money I make, the less likely that my spending will be subject to taxation. This results in an inequitable distribution of tax liability that falls more heavily on the poor and in the state of Michigan losing out on important revenue dollars.

– Melissa Smith

If Gov. Rick Snyder wants to rack up successes on his dashboard for state government, he will need to take a serious look at the latest Kids Count report on new mothers and babies in Michigan. It is flashing a warning signal. July 10, 2011 — Detroit Free Press