DETROIT, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a balanced, bipartisan state budget for Fiscal Year 2023 she said delivers on “the kitchen-table issues” and does not “raise taxes by a dime.”
The governor signed the budget at The Corner Ballpark, formerly the home of the Detroit Tigers and in recent years has been the home of the Detroit PAL program, a partnership between law enforcement and local communities on youth sports and enrichment. The budget she signed funds the Detroit PAL program, helping it expand to more communities and serve more kids.
“I am thrilled to sign my fourth balanced, bipartisan state budget that delivers on the kitchen-table issues that matter most to working families, was done on time, and does not raise taxes by a dime,” Whitmer said. “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.
“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,” she added. “I will work with anyone to put Michiganders first and get this done.”
The budget
The Fiscal Year 2023 budget is balanced, does not raise taxes by a dime, pays down billions in debt, and brings Michigan’s rainy day fund to an all-time high of $1.6 billion. It makes game-changing investments in every student and classroom, empowers working families and connects communities, grows Michigan’s economy and empowers its workforce, and protects public health and public safety.
Among other big-ticket items, the $76 billion FY 2023 budget includes heavy investments in the state’s workforce, regional economic development and small-business support.
The budget includes a general fund total of $15.2 billion and a school aid budget totaling $17.5 billion. It provides a significant amount of one-time funding while maintaining balance in future years and does not utilize one-time funds for ongoing purposes.
The budget also makes a $180 million deposit to the Budget Stabilization Fund, which brings the rainy day fund balance to nearly $1.6 billion, an all-time high.
“We have achieved a transformational state budget focused on long-term results and economic growth,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Stamas (R-Midland). “And it does it all while living within our means, setting aside resources to provide future tax relief to struggling Michigan families and saving for a rainy day.”
Sen Curtis Hertel, D-East Lansing, said the budget proves once again “Democrats and Republicans can come together to get things done.”
“This bipartisan budget will make a real difference in the lives of Michiganders,” Hertel said. “With investments in workforce programs, key regional projects, public safety, and so much more, we are investing in the people of Michigan.”
Growing Michigan’s economy
Budget investments in Michigan’s economy and workforce can be divided into three key sections: talent and workforce, regional economic development, and support for small businesses.
- Talent and workforce — The budget’s talent and workforce investments will help build a skilled workforce that attracts transformative projects and economic development to Michigan. It funds Michigan Reconnect, a program that has offered tens of thousands of Michiganders a tuition-free pathway to higher education and skills training. The budget also funds Going Pro, which helps small businesses develop in-house talent and fill high-skilled, good-paying job openings.
- Regional economic development — To spur economic development in every region of Michigan, including rural communities, the budget kicks off a “Buy Michigan” campaign to support Michigan grown and raised products, funds the Pure Michigan campaign to promote tourism and boost local economies, and funds the Office of Rural Development, established by Whitmer to focus on development in rural areas and provide support for food and agriculture businesses through economic development.
- – To create jobs and help small business owners fill openings, the budget will provide wraparound support for job seekers. The budget will help reduce barriers to employment, like lack of transportation, childcare, or tools, that keep people out of the workforce and slow economic growth.
Supporting families, communities
There are three key areas of the budget that invest in families and communities.
- Honoring Those Who Serve — To ensure those who served have the support they need, the budget funds construction of a new veteran’s home in Marquette, backs a suicide prevention outreach campaign, and shores up the pensions of MSP troopers. To honor the memory of those we have lost, it establishes a veteran’s cemetery in Grayling.
- Building Up Infrastructure — The budget 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.
- – The budget will make critical improvements to Selfridge Air Force Base in Macomb County, invest in Innovate Mound, a transformative project to rebuild Mound Road, one of the most important corridors in Southeast Michigan, and fund modernize Michigan’s armories, shoring up our readiness and supporting local construction jobs.
“As an elected public official, I know personally how difficult the budget process can be to achieve the desired outcome,” said Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans. “Which means I am also appreciative for what Governor Gretchen Whitmer has managed to do for Wayne County in the budget she has signed today. There are a number of wins in this budget for our community, which demonstrates the Governor’s commitment to improving the quality of life for our citizens.”
“This historic, bipartisan budget pays down debt and makes key investments in talent for a brighter future in Michigan,” said Rick Baker, President & CEO of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. “Record funding for the Going Pro Training Fund and Michigan Reconnect program will set our citizens and small businesses up for long-term success. The ongoing funding for Tri-Share, an innovative program to share the cost of childcare between the employers, employees and the State of Michigan, make us a national leader in the work to expand access to childcare.”
