The Interagency Migrant Services Committee (IMSC) was established in 1970 to coordinate the delivery of services for migrant and seasonal farmlabor households and to serve as a clearinghouse for the exchange of views, problems and possible solutions between all concerned parties in the area of migrant and seasonal farmwork and related services.
Membership on the Committee is made up of a broad spectrum of interests and viewpoints. Such diverse agencies as the Michigan Department of Human Services, the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth, the Michigan Department of Community Health, Michigan Migrant Legal Assistance Project, Inc., Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan State University Extension Service, and the Governor's Office, are all permanent charter members of the Committee. The Committee was expanded from 1985-1998 to include representatives from the Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, Michigan State University Julian Samora Research Institute, the Commission on Spanish Speaking Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor, Community Dispute Resolution Program, Migrant Health Promotion, Farmworker Legal Services, Internal Revenue Service,
Social Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Telamon Corporation.
The Committee meets the first Tuesday of every month in the morning and is chaired by a representative of the Michigan Department of Human Services, which is designated "as the lead state agency to assess, develop, and cooperatively administer Michigan's services to migrants" by the Governor.
Staff support to the Committee and its sub and ad hoc committees is provided by the Office of Migrant Affairs at the Michigan Department of Human Services.
For more information, contact Martha Gonzalez-Cortes at CortesM@michigan.gov, 517-373-3567 (phone) or 517-241-7826 (fax).