Gretchen Whitmer has delivered her first State of the State address as Governor of Michigan.
Whitmer wants Michigan to be a model for the country when it comes to Republicans and Democrats finding common ground.
“Do we have the wisdom to put partisanship aside and get the job done for the people we serve? I think we do. So let’s get to work,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer received standing ovations from both sides on issues like expanding the Freedom of Information Act to include the executive and legislative branches and reforming auto insurance. The first-term Democrat says she’s willing to work with majority Republicans in the House and Senate to solve the state’s most pressing issues.
Whitmer is going to need the bipartisan support if she hopes to get the ambitious agenda she laid out during her address accomplished. She wants to improve roads and bridges of course and make sure people have safe water. Whitmer also wants to make Michigan the first state in the Midwest to offer every high school graduate with at least a B average funding assistance for at least the first two years of community college, a four year school or vocational education.
“[I am announcing] a new statewide goal of increasing the number of Michiganders between the ages of 16 and 64 with a post-secondary credential to 60 percent by 2030,” Whitmer said.
How the state will pay for all those upgrades is something she will lay out in her budget proposal next month. She wants a budget on her desk before summer break.
