Michigan is ‘ready to rock,’ says Whitmer, while lawmakers have mixed reactions ⋆ Michigan Advance

After a host of ‘80’s references and policy aspirations in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s sixth State of the State address, lawmakers gathered to respond in the Michigan Capitol.

Whitmer’s speech highlighted key Democratic wins from 2023, including increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, repealing Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban and codifying sections of the Affordable Care Act into state law. 

“We delivered a balanced budget focused on the kitchen-table issues in 2023, and I know we will this year, too,” Whitmer said. “… We put together a heck of a record in 2023 and we are starting 2024 ready to rock.” 

Legislative Democrats praised Whitmer’s plans for affordable housing, economic development and free pre-K and community college. 

Rep. Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) said as a younger member of his caucus, he was pleased to see initiatives making Michigan more affordable for Gen Z take center stage in the address. He said he “never thought in a million years” that at age 25, he would be asked by friends how much it would cost to have children. 

Programs making childcare and education more affordable, he said, could make a key difference in attracting young people and their families to Michigan. 

“I think it’s all about economic prosperity and removing the barriers to access economic prosperity,” Farhat said.

Looking ahead to the 2024 state budget, Whitmer promised to extend free preschool to every 4-year-old in Michigan and make the first two years of community college tuition free for Michiganders over 21. 

Whitmer also announced her intention to start an “innovation fund” aimed at attracting start-ups and retaining young companies and called for a research and development tax credit for universities and businesses. As Michigan lags in population and the Growing Michigan Together Council searches for ways to attract young professionals to the state, Whitmer emphasized the need for the state to be economically competitive.

“To keep winning, we must upgrade our economic development toolkit,” Whitmer said. “We can and must outcompete our neighbors.”

Attorney General Dana Nessel told the Advance after the speech that there were many things she was looking forward to this year. Her office is continuing to work on several issues from last year. 

“The guardianship package got through the House…so we’re working with the Senate to try to come back and get it established,” Nessel said. “The Consumer Protection Act, unfortunately, is toothless when it comes to a lot of the work that other agents do in other states and we’re trying so hard to get that amended. … We’re working with the House and the Senate to better protect human trafficking survivors.”

She’ll be continuing investigations such as the Michigan State University Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal and the investigation into sexual assault allegations against former House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering), as well as financial fraud claims in his office, and this investigation could conclude in the next few months. 

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said the governor has outlined a good agenda for this year that aims to benefit all Michiganders, adding that she can’t see a reason why leaders can’t come together across the aisle to try to get things done. 

“It’s 2024, [a] presidential election year, we’ve got early voting starting in a couple of weeks in our presidential primaries. … I’m proud of our clerks who are gonna work together this year. The governor laid out a really impressive, robust and ambitious agenda tonight. We’ve got a lot of work to do to both get it done and ensure our democracy is ready to go for the pressures [and] the challenges we’re all gonna face this year. So my focus is going to continue to be on making government work for everyone and make sure every election we have this year goes smoothly and securely.”

Responses from Republicans in the Legislature ranged from seeing opportunities for bipartisan cooperation to distaste for what House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp.) called “trying to impress a lot of [President Joe] Biden supporters.”

Hall said he wished he had seen more concrete plans to improve student performance and strategies for tax relief. 

“By the way, [Whitmer] talked more about the Detroit Lions than she did about a real plan to fix roads or a plan to solve education,” Hall said.

GOP lawmakers also took issue with projects that could operate on short-term funding and that they believe have the potential to raise the cost of living for Michiganders. Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Twp.) said that Whitmer’s administration has “maxed out the credit card” on special projects. 

“Last year, the governor and the Democrat majority did everything possible to increase the cost of living or increased costs on businesses,” Nesbitt said. 

Whitmer also highlighted housing access as a key issue in the speech, citing her 2023 pledge to build or refurbish 75,000 units of housing over a five-year period. Reps. Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor) and Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing) said they’re eager to move on further initiatives like rent stabilization and addressing homelessness. 

“I’m a renter still in Ann Arbor,” Rheingans said. ​​”My rent just went up $500 a month — I think it’s completely obnoxious that this is allowed. So that’s why I want to work with the governor and whoever wants to change any sort of state-level policy.”

Dievendorf said they “could not be more thrilled” with Whitmer’s expression of housing as a top priority. 

“This is going to be quite the year for Democrats in housing,” Dievendorf said. “We need to be utilizing as many different options for getting people into safe housing and affordable housing, and that means being creative with what’s already available.”

State Rep. Mike Harris (R-Waterford) said in a post-speech statement that many of the projects Whitmer touted as successes in her speech, particularly relating to energy and utility costs, will actually hurt Michiganders.

“The only real wins the governor mentioned in her speech were accomplished by the Lions and the [University of Michigan] Wolverines, but that didn’t stop the governor from chalking up our state’s losses as victories,” Harris said.

In spite of partisan disagreements, some Republicans were happy to see issues they championed make their way into Whitmer’s speech. Rep. Bill G. Schuette (R-Midland) said that he’s voted in favor of research and development tax credits before and presents an “area of opportunity.”

“I think there’s a lot of workable bipartisan initiatives that we could work on,” Schuette said. “I’d love to work together on the R&D tax credit; I hope we can work on it.”

There is currently a 54-54 tie in the state House of Representatives, two seats are open that previously were held by Democrats. Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) said that while he won’t entertain a power-sharing agreement, as Republicans have pushed for, there will be ample opportunity for his caucus to work with Republican colleagues to advance legislative priorities. 

“The rules that we all voted on in 2023 don’t allow for [a power-sharing agreement], and we [Democrats] are going to be at 56-54 back again, shortly after the special elections,” Tate said. “But I think we want to continue the work of bipartisanship that we’ve done — the majority of the bills that we passed in 2023 were bipartisan. I think we can continue that work into 2024.”