Sandy's Blog

September 28, 2010: China on track to produce more than half World's Solar Panels and Wind Turbines: A few weeks ago, The New York Times wrote about the dangerous combination of China's undervalued currency, and ongoing subsidization of the Chinese green energy tech sector. As the article details, China is on track to produce more than half the world's solar panels and wind turbines this year: …More

September 28, 2010: Healthcare Reform Strengthens Middle Class: A few months ago, on the eve of Congress's vote on healthcare reform, I received a letter that summed up what this is all about: strengthening the basic economic security of the middle class. …More

September 13, 2010: Lithium-Ion Battery Factory in Michigan: Today, the nation's largest lithium-ion battery factory will open in Livonia, Michigan. This investment by A123 Systems will create jobs, help power our economy into a leading role in the 21st century economy, and provide real-world proof that if we work... …More

August 23, 2010: Strengthening Small Businesses: Small businesses employ more than half of all private sector employees and have created 64% of net new jobs over the past 15 years. That's why House Democrats are working so hard to help small businesses grow. This Democratic Congress... …More

July 6, 2010: Construction Season: Being home over the holiday weekend reminded me of something you often hear about Michigan: the state has two seasons - Winter and Construction. The state is in the midst of construction season, and an especially active season thanks to... …More

July 1, 2010: Stories from the Unemployed: At the end of May, federal emergency unemployment compensation began to disappear. Each week since then thousands of people have lost their unemployment insurance. By the end of next week the number of people dropped will reach 90,000 in Michigan and over two million nationwide. …More

July 1, 2010: Health Reform and Employer-Based Insurance: These changes to the employer-based system will be accompanied by the opening of the Health Insurance Exchanges which provide a competitive, affordable marketplace for small businesses and the uninsured to shop for insurance. The combination of the exchanges and a robust employer-based system will make quality health care a reality for all Americans. …More

March 29, 2010: Why the Student Loan Industry Needed Reform: Last week the House voted to reform the student loan business and help more Michigan residents to get the funding they need to go to college. The reforms save money by cutting out wasteful subsidies to banks and investing the money into students themselves through increased Pell Grants and funding for community colleges. In Michigan, this means $1.1 billion in new scholarship money over the next ten years and $2 billion for competitive community college grants.
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December 11, 2009: Tax Fairness Scores a Victory this Week: The House approved legislation that I authored to end the preferential tax treatment for the compensation provided to private equity, hedge fund and some real estate managers. Under current law the managers of private investment partnerships receive compensation for their services in the form of "carried interest" and pay the much lower capital gains tax rate rather that the ordinary income tax rate by virtue of their fund's partnership structure.
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December 7, 2009: This is the future: This morning I visited GM's Hamtramck assembly plant where the Chevy Volt will become the first electric car mass produced in the United States. The atmosphere at the event was fittingly "electric" as everyone from executives to assembly line workers were brimming with excitement over the Volt. I spoke with one worker who had been at the plant for 25 years who said "this is the future." When I asked why he thought that, he said that people "will be able to drive to work and back home and won't use any gas."
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