[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 69 (Friday, April 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS (SEMCOG)

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 27, 2018

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Southeast 
Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) as it celebrates its 50th year 
of serving Southeast Michigan.
  SEMCOG was formed 50 years ago to fill a vital need--to bring 
together distinct communities in Southeast Michigan, and provide a 
forum to help them plan and work together for the common good. The 
philosophy at the heart of SEMCOG is that the whole is sometimes 
greater than the sum of its parts, and that our region faces challenges 
we can only meet by working together.
  In the continuing pursuit of regional coordination, business, 
community, and government leaders came together in the mid-1960s to 
form the Committee of 100. The Committee of 100 reviewed the functions 
of both the Regional Planning Commission and the Supervisors Inter-
County Commission. In January 1968, on recommendation of the Committee 
of 100, the Regional Planning Commission and the Supervisors Inter-
County Committee disbanded, and the Southeast Michigan Council of 
Governments was formed and began to respond to the need for both 
planning and other types of intergovernmental and regional programs.
  SEMCOG's earliest years set the tone for much of the work they do 
today and will continue to do in the future. I've had the pleasuring of 
seeing firsthand the growth of SEMCOG, from the days of the Committee 
of 100 to today.
  Today SEMCOG serves 4.7 million people in the seven-county area 
surrounding Metropolitan Detroit. SEMCOG supports coordinated local 
planning with technical, data, and intergovernmental resources. The 
principal purpose of SEMCOG is to help local governments improve and 
maintain Southeast Michigan's transportation systems, environmental 
quality, economic interests, and infrastructure.
  SEMCOG has been instrumental to our work in Congress, serving as a 
valuable resource to not only me and my office, but the entire Michigan 
delegation. A strong, collegial working relationship has been mutually 
beneficial to developing policy and addressing the needs of Southeast 
Michigan.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing SEMCOG for 
their steadfast commitment to their mission of addressing regional 
challenges and strengthening the abilities of local governments to work 
together.

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