LANSING – During an optimistic, 45-minute speech punctuated with tributes to the University of Michigan football team’s national championship and the Detroit Lions’ upcoming appearance in the NFC championship game in San Francisco, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her 2024 State of the State address.
In front of a joint session of the Michigan Legislature, Whitmer laid out her plans to lower costs, improve education and ensure anyone can “make it” in Michigan.
“We put together a heck of a record in 2023 and we are starting 2024 ready to rock,” Whitmer said. “This year let’s keep our foot on the accelerator by continuing to focus on the issues that make a real difference in people’s lives. Let’s build more housing to expand supply and lower costs, and save family caregivers thousands on their taxes. To improve education, let’s deliver a budget that expands free pre-K for all and makes community college tuition-free for every high school graduate.
“Finally, let’s keep bringing supply chains and jobs back home to Michigan by shoring up our economic development toolkit so anyone can ‘make it’ in Michigan,” she added. “Together, we can build a brighter future and help every Michigander have a classic Michigan story.”
Among her proposals:
Housing
The State of Michigan will make the largest investment to build housing in Michigan history, nearly $1.4 billion to build or rehabilitate nearly 10,000 homes. That is 10 times what the state invested to build housing 10 years ago.
“Building more of every kind of housing—single family homes, apartments, and mixed-use buildings—will expand supply and lower costs,” she said. “Getting this done will also support thousands of good-paying jobs in the skilled trades—from pipefitters and carpenters to bricklayers and roofers.”
Caregiver Tax Credit
Michiganders with caregiving responsibilities juggle their own lives and careers while spending thousands of dollars out-of-pocket on related expenses. Whitmer proposed the new Caring for MI Family Tax Credit to save thousands of Michigan families up to $5,000 off their taxes. The proposal covers caregiving expenses including counseling, transportation, and nursing or respite services.
Pre-K for All
The governor wants to provide access to free pre-K for every single 4-year-old Michigander in the next budget. Free pre-K saves families an average of $10,000 a year and helps students build a solid academic foundation for long-term success, improving literacy rates and closing achievement gaps.
“Data shows that children who attend pre-K have better academic outcomes, higher graduation rates, and go on to earn more money when they start working,” she said. “Investments in pre-K will also attract employers seeking to expand or relocate to Michigan by giving parents more safe, affordable options for their kids when they go to work.
Community College for All
The governor proposed making the first two years of community college tuition-free for every high school graduate. This, Whitmer said, will save students an average of $4,000 as they earn an associates degree or skills certificate at a community college, helping them land a better-paying, high-skill job in a career field they love.
Getting it done, she said, will also help Michigan achieve its ‘Sixty by 30 goal’ to have 60% of working-age adults earn a postsecondary education by 2030.
“Michigan’s growing economy must be driven by a growing base of skilled talent,” Whitmer said. “As more supply chains come home and advanced manufacturing businesses expand in Michigan, they will need qualified talent to meet their needs. Every student deserves a chance to pursue their passion so they can build a good life in Michigan.”
Rebuilding Michigan
Calling infrastructure “critical to growing Michigan’s population and economy,” Whitmer called on the Michigan Department of Transportation to authorize the final $700 million of the Rebuilding Michigan Plan. The five-year, $3.5 billion plan has focused on fixing Michigan’s most economically critical roads while supporting over 45,000 jobs without raising taxes by a dime,” she said. The final round of bonding projects includes I-94 along Detroit Metro Airport, I-696 from Southfield through Warren, and a bridge in Erie Township.
Make it in Michigan
Whitmer called for Michigan to upgrade its “bipartisan economic development toolkit,” includng:
- R&D Tax Credit: unleash innovation while lowering costs for businesses.
- HIRE Michigan: lower overall payroll taxes for these firms. “The value behind it is simple: the more you hire in Michigan, the more you should save in Michigan,” she said.
- Renaissance Zones, which she said spur investment in areas of the state that are “too often left out or left behind” by lowering the cost of doing business in them.
- Innovation Fund to invest in early-stage start-ups, help launch hundreds of new Michigan-based companies, creating thousands of jobs.
“Companies are bringing supply chains back home to America—and to Michigan—in a big way,” she said. “Michigan is showing the world that we make a lot more than just cars. In the decades ahead, we will dominate batteries, chips, and clean energy.”
State Sen. Aric Nesbitt, the Senate Republican Leader from Porter Township, delivered the Republican response following Whitmer’s speech.
“Tonight Governor Whitmer painted a picture of the state of the state that … was at odds with the reality most Michigan families are facing,” Nesbitt said in a prerecorded response. “She took a victory lap … while many of our family members, friends and neighbors continue to struggle. This was a speech from someone who has spent way too much time in the Lansing bubble.”
