Michigan's Budget - Supporting Education, Public Safety and Roads

Once again, the Legislature has shown an ability to work together and get things done. The Legislature passed the School Aid Budget before June 1, giving schools the time to prepare and plan for the upcoming school year. Unlike the mid-2000s, there will be no last-second budget schemes or threatened government shutdowns. In addition to getting the budget done ahead of schedule, schools will see a significant increase in funding.

Since being elected, this is the second budget I have voted for. Last year, the Legislature appropriated a $120 increase to the base per-pupil allotment in an effort to continue to close the funding inequality gap. This year schools will see another increase as the base funding levels go up. To put that in real dollars, schools in the 51st House District (Flushing, Linden, Lake Fenton, Fenton, Holly, Swartz Creek and Goodrich) will see an increase between $144 and $231 per student. Those are real dollars that will go into classrooms to help educate our students. Additionally, nearly every school district in our communities has taken steps to get the best value for your tax dollars and qualified for an additional $52 per student by meeting the best practices guidelines. As the father of teachers and the grandfather of 12 grandkids, I have been a strong advocate for education. Every budget I have voted for has increased the base funding allotment giving more resources to our local schools. I will continue to work diligently toward providing a high-quality education for all of our students.

In the general budget, it was import that Michigan invested in other priority areas such as public safety and roads. Anyone who has talked with me at one of my coffee hours or bumped into me at the grocery store knows that public safety is a top priority of mine. As a community, we are situated between two high-crime cities in Michigan - Flint and Pontiac. To have economic revitalization take hold throughout this area we must have safe communities that families want to live in and in which businesses want to invest. Last year the state allocated additional funding for State Police troopers to be sent to Michigan's cities in distress, and this year, once again money was appropriated for another Michigan State Police Trooper Recruitment School to train and equip police officers to address crime.

I'm sure that it is no secret to anyone that Michigan's roads are terrible. As I drive from my home around Genesee and Oakland counties I put a lot of miles on my truck, meeting with constituents. I am well aware that our roads are rough and riddled with potholes. We all know we need more resources put toward roads, but the question was how. From day one, I have said that I do not support an increase in the gas tax or on registration fees. Funding roads comes down to prioritizing our spending and finding ways to streamline government. This year's budget did just that and was able to put an additionally $350 million toward road and bridge repairs. While this won't fix every road, it is a step in the right direction and I'm committed to finding a long-term solution that will help address our pothole perforated roads.

Finally, please follow me on Facebook by 'liking' www.facebook.com/repjosephgraves. I try to provide daily updates on what is going on in your state government as well as events and news from throughout our community. You can always call me at (517) 373-1780 or e-mail josephgraves@house.mi.gov