Recently, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed her fourth balanced, bipartisan budget that makes historic investments in every community across Michigan. The budget includes $130 million for public safety; $6 billion to rebuild local roads, repair bridges, and improve transit systems; and significant resources for skills training and workforce development. This signing came only a week after Governor Whitmer delivered the highest state per-student investment in Michigan history – $9,150 for every student, in every district – and signed her 900th bipartisan bill.
Gov. Whitmer signed the bipartisan $76 billion state budget for the 2023 fiscal year, investing in Michigan schools, families, communities, work-force, public health and public safety while growing the state’s economy.
“The budget will protect public health and public safety, expand mental health resources, grow Michigan’s economy and workforce, empower working families and communities, and pays down billions in debt,” said Gov. Whitmer. “I look forward to working with the legislature and furthering this spirit of collaboration to invest the billions of dollars in additional revenue we still have on the table to offer real relief to families right now, especially as they face rising prices on groceries, gas, and other everyday expenses.”
Included in the $76 billion budget is $15.2 billion for a general fund and $17.5 billion for school aid. It also includes a $180 million deposit for the Budget Stabilization Fund, which brings the state’s rainy day fund balance to an all-time high of $1.6 billion.
- Expands on the investments in the bipartisan Building Michigan Together Plan signed in April by speeding up replacement of lead service lines, reducing traffic congestion at local rail crossings, improving state fish hatcheries, and funding long-overdue maintenance projects at state facilities.
- Funds Michigan Reconnect, a program that has offered tens of thousands of Michiganders a tuition-free pathway to higher education and skills training.
- Provides wraparound support for job seekers.
- Helps reduce barriers to employment, like lack of transportation, childcare, or tools, that keep people out of the workforce and slow economic growth.
- Makes several investments to improve relation-ships between communities and law enforcement, including funding for community policing programs and an expansion of the Detroit Police Athletic League (PAL) to more communities.
- Supports corrections officers and employees with investments that keep them safe on the job.
- Nearly $675 million more in the transportation budget, a 12 percent boost, in part due to in-creased federal road and bridge funding.
- $2.5 million to expand the Vocational Village program, which houses certain state prisoners together and provides them specialized training so they can leave with
marketable skills that lead to a stable job. - $48 million for lead line replacement and water treatment system upgrades, with priority for disadvantaged communities.
- $30 million to pay up to $4,000 each to police recruits who attend the academy and award a maximum $20,000 academy scholarship per cadet.
- About $213 million in infrastructure grants will go to 17 projects.
- Some $251 million in economic development and workforce grants will be split among 27 projects.
- $693 million for school safety and infrastructure.
- A major investment in special education resources of $1.92 billion.
Governor Whitmer signed the state education budget, which includes record per-pupil funding the previous week.
