This evening, before a joint convention of the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered the annual State of the State address. She began the address announcing a new visitor’s center on Mackinac Island near Arch Rock, named after former Governor Milliken. She highlighted reforming auto no-fault in Michigan, which was a bipartisan effort. Governor Whitmer also highlighted accomplishments from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist and Chief Justice Bridget McCormack.

Shifting to her main message of the speech, the Governor is ready to dig in and do the work to fix Michigan problems. She called for leaders of both parties to work together to find lasting solutions for Michigan residents. However, since the legislature has been stalled at a long-term solution for infrastructure funding, Governor Whitmer is moving forward on her own, calling for state road bonds. According to the governor, it will save time, money, and lives and because the legislature won’t need to act the repairs can begin quickly. However, she called on the legislature to come up with a long-term solution that will help provide funds to local roads and bridges.

Governor Whitmer then touched on the economy in Michigan, touting the new auto jobs that have been created over the past year, along with the international bridge with Canada, which is creating new jobs in the state. Additionally, the governor called to expand overtime pay for workers, increasing the current threshold of $35,000.

Moving to education, Governor Whitmer is calling for literacy coaches to train teachers, something she will highlight in her budget recommendations next week. She also called for additional help to students and families struggling with the third-grade reading law. Governor Whitmer stated the current one size fits all approach to education isn’t working, highlighting the new equitable funding formula passed by the legislature this year. The governor spoke on the skills gap in Michigan, calling on the legislature to pass current legislation that will help train workers and fill that gap.

On the healthcare front, Governor Whitmer called for the legislature to enshrine parts of the Affordable Care Act into state law, including coverage for pre-existing conditions. The governor’s budget proposal will extend coverage for post-partum care for women and increase access to mental health treatment and home visiting programs for new mothers.

Wrapping up, Governor Whitmer stressed that the state must act quickly to meet the challenges that residents are currently facing. She again highlighted the need for both parties to work together to find solutions.

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