The Michigan State House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan budget, just shy of the July 1 deadline.
The budget includes the largest investment in K-12 public schools in the state's history. This will close the gap between the lowest-and-highest-funded school districts for the first time since the goal was first introduced in 1994.
The budget also fully funds or expands programs like the Michigan Reconnect job training program to help Michiganders compete for good-paying jobs, the Great Start Readiness Program to support early childhood education, the Clean Slate initiative to expand the state’s expungement system, and a wage increase for direct care workers who care for our most vulnerable.
“The bills passed by the House today represent bipartisan progress in the budget process and are a step in the right direction as we continue Michigan’s economic jumpstart,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “This framework is a strong start and proposes historic investments in public education, bumps up pay for direct care workers, and puts more people on tuition-free paths to higher education and skills training. However, we still have a lot of work to do to get this across the finish line, and I look forward to action from the Senate by July 1st so we can deliver for Michigan’s families, small businesses, and communities.”
Highlights of the new budget plan include the following:
- Record funding for K-12 schools, up to $16.7 billion statewide
- Eliminating the funding gap between highly-funded and lower-funded school districts
- Opening up 22,000 new spots for early childhood education programs
- Investing more than a half-billion dollars in debt in the teacher retirement system, protecting pensions for teachers for decades to come
- A 2% increase for local government parks, road repairs, police & fire services, and more
- Increased funding for public safety
- Increased funding for dam safety and necessary repairs
The budget now moves to the Michigan State Senate. They're expected to vote on the budget before the end of the month.
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