This evening, before a joint convention of the legislature, Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered her eighth and final State of the State. She began her speech by giving recognition for the years of service from the legislators and specifically her fellow elected leaders who are also term-limited: Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Attorney General Dana Nessel, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. She also thanked the Michigan residents who have elected her twice to the office, stating it was the “honor of a lifetime” to be governor.
Given this is her last address, she highlighted the accomplishments over the past seven years, including:
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- Wages and GDP are up.
- Crime and overdose deaths are down.
- PreK, school meals, and community colleges are free.
- Taxes on retirement, tips, overtime, and Social Security are gone.
- The significant amount of road work completed, homes built, and the replacement of lead pipes.
- For the first time since the early 1990s, more people moved into Michigan than out.
Despite the uncertainty in the national economy, Governor Whitmer is urging the state to continue focusing on its economy. In her final year, she’ll focus on building a Michigan for all, including kids’ education and more money in residents’ pockets for housing and healthcare.
On the education front, the nation and the state are facing serious literacy problems. Specifically, Michigan is ranked 44th in the nation for 4th-grade reading. While progress has been made over the past seven years, there is more to be done this year. Her budget proposal reflects a significant investment to provide funding to:
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- Start teaching reading earlier by funding free, full-day PreK for all students.
- Focus on proven literacy teaching practices in all classrooms statewide.
- Extra support for students who need it by funding more tutoring and small group support in class, and funding after-school, weekend, and summer programs.
Shifting to another national issue that needs to be addressed, housing. Governor Whitmer pointed out that the median age of a first-time homebuyer is 40 and the average income of first-time buyers is $97,000, both of which are record highs. While Michigan has made progress due to state investment, closing the housing gap, and assistance loans, there is more work to be done. To further address the problem, she’s calling for a state-level affordable housing tax credit, ending certain construction requirements, and streamlining zoning.
The third major focus of her final year will be health care. Recognizing that Michigan can’t do anything about the changes on the national level, some steps can be taken to make an impact in the state. The governor has identified two areas, the first being medical debt. She’s calling for a cap on medical debt interest rates, preventing medical debt from showing on a credit report, requiring hospitals to set up financial assistance programs, and banning liens or foreclosures on homes due to medical debt. Furthermore, her budget proposal seeks funding to stabilize Medicaid, protecting benefits and maintaining coverage for those who are eligible.
In closing, Governor Whitmer stated that during her final 10 months in office, her mission will be to continue to put the people of Michigan first. She spoke about the two and a half decades she’s spent in Lansing, from legislator to governor, and the bipartisanship over the years that has brought significant improvement to the lives of residents. Despite the national discourse, Governor Whitmer stated that the way forward is working together.
For more information on tonight’s address, please visit Michigan.gov/sots.
