Peters Receives National Award For Efforts To Create Local Jobs, New Innovations

Press Release

U.S. Representative Gary Peters today was presented with a major business association award for his tireless efforts to support their members' ability to develop new innovate hi-tech products and create jobs in Michigan and across the country. Peters was given the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association's (MEMA) Joseph M. Magliochetti Industry Champion Award at a special luncheon this afternoon.

The Industry Champion award is given annually to a leader who has effectively fought to support advancements in the motor vehicle parts manufacturing industry, an industry that supports thousands of jobs throughout Southeast Michigan. MEMA-member companies alone employ more than 19,000 people in Peters' district.

"I am very honored by this recognition," said Rep. Peters. "New developments from companies like this will drive our economic recovery. Creating an environment in which they can innovate and grow will lead our economic renewal. We have more auto suppliers in our region than anywhere in the country, so helping them grow and transition into new technologies means thousands of jobs for us."

"The past 18 months have proved extraordinarily difficult for parts suppliers," said Bob McKenna, MEMA President and CEO. "Our members continue to face a weakened national economy and reduced access to credit, and yet we as an industry remain the nation's largest manufacturing employer and a leader in producing the parts and technology that make today's vehicles safer and more fuel-efficient."

"Rep. Peters has played a key role in helping his Congressional colleagues understand the unique challenges the supplier industry is facing," McKenna continued. "His leadership directly led to passage of a bill in the House that would significantly help suppliers continue to develop technologies that will be necessary for the next generation of vehicles."

Today's award comes on the heels of another award he received last month from another business group, the National Truck Equipment Association. Congressman Peters received that organization's "Green Truck Award" for fighting for the development of new job-creating innovations in advanced truck technologies.

Representative Peters has made helping small businesses in all industries innovate and grow a top priority since taking office last year. Of particular importance to auto suppliers, Rep. Peters introduced legislation to spur the development of new advanced vehicle technologies including more fuel efficient vehicles. Peters' legislation specifically calls for auto suppliers to be included in research and development partnerships to help them develop innovative hi-tech products.

Peters has also fought relentlessly to help small businesses have better access to credit. Peters voted against his party's second stimulus bill in December because it had too little support for small businesses, then advanced an alternative plan to redirect Wall Street bailout money to help promote small business lending instead. He also authored a measure which passed the House that would provide zero-interest loans worth up to $75,000 to small businesses in high unemployment states. He has introduced legislation with Reps. Levin and Dingell to create state-based partnerships with financial institutions to help small manufacturers access credit. He has introduced bipartisan legislation with Rep. Vern Ehlers to lower costs for small manufacturers who participate in the job-creating Manufacturers Extension Partnership. And last November, Peters convened a Financial Services subcommittee field hearing in Oakland County so that Members of Congress could hear directly from local small businesses, a hearing which yielded several policy proposals to help small businesses that Representative Peters submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Peters has also consistently supported tax cuts to help businesses grow. Earlier this year, Peters introduced the American Job Creation and Investment Act to provide business tax relief projected to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. He has repeatedly voted for other measures to provide tax cuts for small businesses.

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