Upper Peninsula invades Lansing
Posted by Lake Superior Community Partnership on June 7, 2016
As you know, important decisions are being made and public policy is created daily in our state capitol. For us, that is 400 miles away, making it difficult to participate in the process in person on a regular basis. That is why legislative advocacy is a key strategy for the Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP).
We understand that many of our large employers have their own government relations staff or contracted lobbyist to focus solely on their legislative needs. In this instance, we are here to compliment those efforts. However, for small and mid-sized businesses, we play a more vital role at the state and federal level. We have the ability to be their eyes and ears, sharing critical information that may impact their business so they can spend time doing what they do best…running a solid business in our community! Let’s talk about a variety of ways the LSCP assists in this area.
At the staff level, we receive daily legislative updates that allow us to track bills being introduced as well as insider news from Lansing. If you are a Chairman’s Circle member, you also receive a summary of this activity weekly that can even be customized to your specific industry and interests. When legislation being created or debated will affect our region, we make sure to vet the information, share it with our partners, encourage feedback and define a strategy to address it. For issues that already fall under the legislative priorities outlined in our policy agenda, we move forward either supporting or opposing the bill. Our state and federal policy agendas can be found on our website (www.marquette.org).
The Marquette County Ambassadors is a group of local leaders that fall under the LSCP umbrella. For over 50 years, this group has made an annual pilgrimage to Lansing armed with talking points outlining the most critical issues affecting our region. This year, over a two day period, we divided and conquered 33 separate meetings and hosted an evening reception for all the state legislators, key department staff, lobbyists and various other friends of the U.P.
Over the last several years, the Ambassadors have reached out to collaborate with our colleagues in other U.P. counties to join in the event. This year the group collaborated with a variety of groups representing ten of the fifteen counties to carry a strong and consistent message to Lansing. Top issues for our region? They included dark stores, energy, transportation and infrastructure.
Here is an example of the people and departments that we were able to meet with:
- Governor Rick Snyder
- Governor Brian Calley
- Attorney General Bill Schuette
- Valerie Brader, Executive Director of the Michigan Agency for Energy
- Michigan Public Service Commission
- Michigan Economic Development Corporation
- P. legislative delegation
- Department of Natural Resources
- Department of Environmental Quality
- Department of Corrections
- Travel Michigan
- Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
- Department of Transportation
Our work in Lansing is key and the issues addressed fit into our overall policy agenda designed by our Government Affairs task force and approved by the board of directors. The guiding principles of our state policy agenda are:
- Talent/Workforce – The LSCP supports P-20 Education which is vital to our economic competitiveness and future workforce.
- Infrastructure – The LSCP strongly supports the need for reliable and secure infrastructure.
- Business Climate – The LSCP believes that sustainable and diverse economic growth is essential to the long term success of the region.
Building relationships in Lansing and Washington are critical components of any successful economic development organization’s strategy. To find out more about how the LSCP implements our strategy, visit www.marquette.org and click Business Resources and Government Relations and Advocacy.
Amy Clickner, CEO, writes a bi-weekly column for the Mining Journal.
