Michigan League for Public Policy
The federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides unprecedented cash resources to families and significant investments in key areas like housing, child care, education, and health coverage.
It also provides significant resources to help states, localities, tribes, and territories meet COVID-19-related challenges.
With those funds, Michigan has a chance to right our fiscal ship, undoing bad policy decisions of the past and paving the way for a brighter future for all Michiganders.
After decades of disinvestment, critical programs and services in Michigan have been underfunded, making it even harder for kids, families, and workers to thrive. By prioritizing tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations over investments in our state’s residents, the state Legislature weakened Michigan’s foundation so that when, COVID-19 hit, the state was already on shaky ground.
Gilda Z. Jacobs
Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and new State Budget Director Dave Massaron released their 2022 budget proposal.
The state budget is a big area of focus for the Michigan League for Public Policy each year and a big avenue for our policy wins each year. The League has always said that the state budget is an indicator of our values, and that is truer than ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its various impacts on our economy, schools, and residents.
While the state budget is still a values statement, the budget is also the blueprint for getting our state and our fellow Michiganders through this crisis. And, with that end in mind, there’s a lot to like in Gov. Whitmer’s 2022 budget for Michigan kids, parents, and workers.