Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave
the first State of the State Address
of her second term from the
House Chamber of the Michigan
Capitol Wednesday evening. The
speech marked the first in-person
State of the State Address since
2020, following virtual speeches
in 2021 and 2022 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
In
her
opening
remarks,
Whitmer
highlighted
the
achievements of her last term,
including investing in public
education,
creating
jobs
and
funding public safety initiatives
in Michigan. She also outlined
her priorities for her second
term. She announced Lower MI
Cost, a three-part plan repealing
the retirement tax. She also said
she would work to expand the
Working Families Tax Credit and
implement Pre-K For All, which
would provide free, public pre-K
education for all four-year-old
children.
Whitmer said the Working
Families Tax Credit will not
only reduce costs by lowering
retirement taxes for Michigan
families but will also increase
the
standard
of
living
for
children, providing them more
opportunities long-term.
“The Working Families Tax
Credit benefits all kinds of
families, and it directly impacts
nearly one million children —
almost half the kids in Michigan,”
Whitmer
said.
“Data
shows
boosting the Working Families
Tax Credit also closes health and
wealth gaps. Children who grow
up with this support have better
test scores, graduation rates and
earnings as adults.”
As part of Lower MI Cost,
Whitmer
said
she
plans
to
expand the Great Start Readiness
Program — the state’s existing
state-funded preschool program
— to achieve her goal of providing
universal public pre-K. She said
this
expansion
is
estimated
to save Michigan families an
average of $10,000 in childcare
costs annually.
“Unfortunately,
affordable
preschool is hard to find right
now,” Whitmer said. “Twenty
years ago, it was invaluable for me.
Without it, I could not have raised
my girls and continued my career.
Most in this room could say the
same. We were fortunate because
we had access to and could afford
preschool. Every parent and every
child in Michigan deserves the
same because we all want what’s
best for our kids.”
Whitmer also announced her
“Make it in Michigan” plan, which
is intended to encourage local
high school and college students
to stay and work in Michigan
after graduation by increasing
economic opportunities in the
state.
“Ambitious
young
people
have a lot of options when they
graduate,” Whitmer said. “As
they decide where to live, we
must make sure Michigan is the
answer — not just for a few years,
but for the rest of their lives — by
creating opportunity that lasts for
decades.”
Whitmer also highlighted her
Sixty by 30 goal, which aims to
have 60% of Michiganders possess
a degree or skills certificate
by
2030.
She
specifically
encouraged increasing funding
for apprenticeships and technical
education
programs
through
initiatives
such
as
Michigan
Reconnect, which offers tuition-
free associate degrees and skills
training. While the current age
of eligibility for Reconnect is 25,
Whitmer proposed lowering it to
21 in her address on Wednesday.
“Over 113,000 Reconnectors
have been accepted, and we want
that number to grow,” Whitmer
said. “Let’s unleash opportunity
for
young
people
while
offering companies the skilled,
hardworking talent they need to
succeed in Michigan.”
To achieve the Sixty by 30 goal,
Whitmer also said she plans to
increase financial support for
Michigan residents looking to
pursue public, private or trade
education through financial aid
and scholarships.
“Let’s
keep
funding
the
bipartisan Michigan Achievement
Scholarship,
which
lowers
the cost of higher education —
community college, private or
public university — by thousands
of dollars for most students and
makes college tuition free for 65%
of graduating seniors,” Whitmer
said.
After Whitmer’s speech, state
Rep.
Jason
Morgan,
D-Ann
Arbor, told The Michigan Daily
in an interview at the Capitol
that he looks forward to working
with his colleagues in the House
and Senate to retain recent
graduates in the state. Morgan’s
district encompasses the entire
University of Michigan campus.
“The biggest thing I heard
tonight was that the governor,
and hopefully us in the House and
Senate, want to make Michigan a
place that U of M graduates want
to live and work, and stay here
and raise families,” Morgan said.
“That’s what’s really exciting to
me.”
Whitmer
mentioned
that
retaining talent in the state of
Michigan
includes
ensuring
protections
for
civil
rights.
She called for the repeal of the
state’s 1931 abortion ban that,
although nullified by the passage
of Proposal 3 in November, is
still on the books. Whitmer
also encouraged lawmakers to
increase
protections
against
discrimination under the state’s
Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act,
an act that attempts to prevent
discrimination in the workplace.
“Protecting these freedoms
is the right thing to do and it’s
just good economics,” Whitmer
said. “States with extreme laws
are losing talent and investment
because
bigotry
is
bad
for
business. We should build on our
reputation as a welcoming beacon
of opportunity where anyone can
succeed.”
Whitmer
emphasized
the
importance of reducing crime
in
the
state
and
improving
community safety, highlighting
her
historic
investments
in
law enforcement since she was
elected governor.
“As
a
former
prosecutor,
public safety is a top priority for
me,” Whitmer said. “Since I’ve
been governor, we’ve invested
$1
billion
in
public
safety.
Let’s
continue
funding
law
enforcement with better training,
oversight and access to mental
health resources.”
With a Democratic trifecta
giving
the
party
control
of
the House, the Senate and the
governorship in Michigan for the
first time since 1984, Whitmer
and Democratic lawmakers in
the state have pledged to reduce
gun violence across the state by
tightening gun control. At her
address, Whitmer reaffirmed her
commitment to secure storage,
universal
background
checks
and a red flag law. Whitmer said
these measures are necessary
to prevent mass shootings like
the November 2021 shooting at
Oxford High School.
“Despite pleas from Oxford
families, these issues never even
got a hearing in the legislature,”
Whitmer said. “This year, let’s
change that and work together to
stop the violence and save lives
… And I want to be very clear —
I’m not talking about law-abiding
citizens. Hunters and responsible
gun owners from both sides of the
aisle know that we need to get
these common-sense gun safety
proposals across the finish line.”
Whitmer concluded her policy
proposals with a call to address
climate change in the state. She
encouraged bipartisan action on
the issue, noting that mitigating
climate change can also lead to job
creation and further investments
in clean energy.
“It is our shared duty to face
climate
change
head-on
and
protect our land and water,”
Whitmer said. “We must pursue
climate action while creating
jobs, lowering costs and becoming
a hub of clean energy production.
Last year, we unveiled the MI
Healthy
Climate
Plan,
and
this year, we should make bold
investments in climate action to
deliver on its targets.”
In a press release following
Whitmer’s
speech,
House
Minority
Leader
Matt
Hall,
R-Richland Township, criticized
her lack of focus on one of her
central
campaign
promises:
fixing infrastructure across the
state, including roads and bridges.
“After four years in office, Gov.
Whitmer barely mentioned what
used to be her signature issue,”
Hall said. “She still has no real
plan to fix the roads. Michigan
has a multibillion-dollar surplus,
and we should be using those
resources to provide people relief
and make one-time investments
— including to repair and expand
crumbling
infrastructure
to
meet the needs of the people of
Michigan and make economic
development possible.”
In the release, Hall said he
hopes to see Whitmer reach
across the aisle in her second term
to achieve policy solutions that
will benefit all Michiganders.
“I hope she’ll turn the page and
get to work with Republicans —
so we can secure immediate relief
for the people, repair our roads
and keep our communities safe,”
Hall said.
At the end of her remarks,
Whitmer
addressed
political
polarization
in
the
state
government. She affirmed her
commitment to accomplishing
her policy goals in her final
term with the support of her
fellow Michigan lawmakers and
citizens.
“Over the last four years, we’ve
faced historic challenges and
seen the visceral consequences of
political division,” Whitmer said.
“As the world grapples with big
challenges and asks itself tough
questions, our responsibility as
Michiganders is to roll up our
sleeves and do the work.”
The Michigan Court of Appeals
unanimously ruled Thursday the
state’s minimum wage will remain
at $10.10 instead of increasing to
$13.03 as intended by the One Fair
Wage petition, which was adopted
by the state legislature in 2018.
Under Michigan’s Adopt and
Amend policy, the legislature is
allowed to adopt and pass citizen-
led petitions before the proposed
policies are placed on the ballot.
Michigan’s
Republican-majority
legislature adopted the One Fair
Wage proposal in 2018, amending
it to raise the minimum wage to
just $12.05 by 2030. The original
proposal called for a statewide
increase to $13.03 per hour and
tipped worker wages to $11.73 per
hour this year.
Court of Claims Judge Douglas
Shapiro ruled the Adopt and
Amend policy unconstitutional in
July 2022, replacing the plan for a
$12.05 minimum wage with a Jan.
1 increase from $9.87 to $10.10.
The 2022 ruling also created an
opportunity for a second increase
to $13.03, which was prohibited by
Thursday’s decision.
Court of Appeals Judge Michael
Kelly delivered the opinion in
Thursday’s ruling. Kelly said the
court found that the 2022 decision
violated the state’s constitutional
right to petition the government.
“(The
ruling)
is
a
direct
assault on one of the rights of our
founding fathers and the drafters
of our state constitution held dear:
the right of citizens to petition
their government,” Kelly wrote in
his opinion.
Following Thursday’s ruling,
Michigan’s minimum wage will
remain at $10.10 per hour and the
tipped wage will stay at $3.84,
though an appeal to the state
Supreme Court is expected.
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michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Whitmer gives State of the State
Address in Lansing
Whitmer discusses education policy, gun reform and climate change
at the first State of the State Address of her second term
GOVERNMENT
SHAO HSUAN WU
Daily News Reporter
Michigan Court of
Appeals blocks minimum
wage increase
The Michigan Court of Appeals rules the
Adopt and Amend policy constitutional,
unanimously blocks minimum wage increase
NEWS BRIEFS
Hundreds
of
University
of
Michigan students and Ann Arbor
community members gathered on
the snow-covered Diag Wednesday
evening as snow continued to
fall, turning the city into a winter
wonderland. The city of Ann Arbor
received about six inches of snow
throughout the day, with students
across campus fighting to stay
warm and dry. The winter storm
incited a massive snowball fight,
similar to last year’s icy free-for-all.
Students also constructed snowmen
all across the Diag, with some of
them reaching 10 feet in height.
Meanwhile, dogs ran amuck with
snowballs in their mouths and a
couple of brave souls risked building
a snow fortress around the block
‘M.’
The snowball fight was organized
early Wednesday morning after
a post on the U-M Reddit page
urged students to make the most
of the winter storm by gathering
for a snowball fight at 5 p.m. The
event was then further publicized
on UMich Affirmations, a popular
Instagram account among U-M
students. The snowball fight also
encouraged Ann Arbor residents of
all ages to attend after it was posted
on The Official Ann Arbor Townie
Page on Facebook.
Even University President Santa
Ono joined in on the fun and traded
in his iconic suit and bowtie for a
winter coat and a pair of gloves.
He tweeted about his experience,
which included being hit by a rogue
snowball.
“Thanks to our students for
inviting me to the snowball fight on
the Diag,” Ono tweeted. “Stay safe
everyone.”
LSA
sophomore
Sophia
Papadopoulos was waiting on the
Diag before the fight began. In an
interview with The Michigan Daily,
Papadopoulos said she was excited
to get her hands dirty — or snowy,
in this case — after she learned
about the event through the UMich
Affirmations post.
“I’m hoping it’s all chaos and
craziness because that’s what we’ve
seen in the past,” Papadopoulos said.
It
wasn’t
just
students
participating though. As the fight
started, Ann Arbor residents like
Doug Henderson came to both
watch and take advantage of the
winter weather. Henderson brought
his two golden retrievers, Lucy and
Penny, with him to observe the
snowball fight.
“We take the dogs down on
campus a lot, and (I) heard about the
snowball fights,” Henderson said. “I
actually saw it on Facebook.”
Corie Pauling, U-M Alumni
Association president and a 1993
U-M graduate, was in attendance
and said she was excited to see so
many students finding joy in the
first big snow of the year.
“It still is great to see that (the
Diag) is still the center of this type
of moment for students,” Pauling
said. “I like to call these Michigan
moments, because when these
students graduate, they’re always
going to remember this — the
winter, the first big snow of 2023
and being out on the Diag, and with
(hundreds) of other students, just
doing all kinds of crazy things.”
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
CAMPUS LIFE
RACHEL MINTZ &
MADISON HAMMOND
Daily News Editor & Daily Staff
Reporter
LEVI HERRON &
SAMANTHA RICH
Daily News Reporter & Daily
News Editor
EMILY ALBERTS/Daily
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II speaks at the State of the State address in Lansing Wednesday night.Hill Auditorium Sunday morning.
Students gather on the Diag for a snowball fight Wednesday evening.
UMich students and Ann
Arbor residents have
snowball fight on Diag
A winter storm bringing six inches of snow to
Ann Arbor incites a massive snowball fight
JENNA HICKEY/Daily