Contact:
Holly Wetzel
Communications Coordinator
989-698-1927
wetzel@mackinac.org

MIDLAND — In her first “State of the State” address, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for six expansions of government and one limitation. This is fewer proposed expansions than the average number coming from previous governors’ State of the State speeches, at least since Gov. William Milliken in the 1970s.

Past governors have used their annual address to announce new programs and initiatives that they hoped to implement, many of which would require an expansion of government. The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has tallied the expansions and limitations in the State of the State addresses for the previous five governors. The tally of expansions and limitations is not meant as a comment on whether these proposed changes are positive or negative.

“The State of the State offered more perspective on Gov. Whitmer’s intentions for the coming year, but the devil will be in the details,” said Michael LaFaive, senior director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center. “How much will fixing everything that allegedly ails Michigan cost? To what degree, if any, will Michigan families’ budgets need to shrink in order to pay for a larger state budget?”

Throughout her address, Gov. Whitmer reiterated many of her campaign promises as she laid out her policy agenda for the next four years. The following were expansions of state government proposed by Gov. Whitmer:

• Calling for a law to ban using your hands to talk on a cell phone while driving.
• Expanding the Elliot Larson Act, Michigan’s law preventing discrimination based on age, race, sex and other areas to the LGBTQ community.
• Launching the Michigan Reconnect program for “displaced workers.”
• Creating a “Michigan Opportunity Scholarship,” which would provide two years of free tuition at a community college or similar time at a four-year, nonprofit college.
• A potential rollback of Michigan’s law requiring able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid to seek work, volunteer or be in school.
• New agency offices of the Clean Water Public Advocate and the Environmental Justice Public Advocate.

The governor proposed the following limitation on state government:

• Calling for expanding Michigan’s public records act to the governor’s office and the state Legislature.

Here are the past number of expansions and limitations by gubernatorial administration since 1969.

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