LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Jon Bumstead on Friday voted for a fiscal year 2023 state budget that increases funding for K-12 schools, roads, water infrastructure, debt reduction, and that plans for future tax relief.
“Budgets are statements of priorities, and just as West Michigan families dedicate their hard-earned money for necessities, the new state budget we approved focuses on funding priorities we have around the state, like education, roads and water infrastructure, paying down our debts and taking care of families,” said Bumstead, R-North Muskegon. “This budget provides significant increases and does so without raising taxes — in fact, it includes plans to cut taxes to help residents better afford increasing costs of living.”
Bumstead highlighted that House Bill 5783, which is the general omnibus budget, includes $600,000 for watershed council grants, like the Muskegon River Watershed, for education, administration, or conservation activities, building on the more than $2 billion that was dedicated in Senate Bill 565, which he sponsored to address water infrastructure throughout the state.
“As chair of the appropriations subcommittees on the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, I’m committed to protecting our clean water and natural resources,” Bumstead said. “This budget continues the transformational changes we invested through Senate Bill 565, which I sponsored and became law this year, by continuing to address water infrastructure throughout the state.”
HB 5783 also provides $3.4 million for Muskegon Family Care to help support the health care of area residents, and Shelby Township, located in Oceana County, will receive $650,000 for local road projects. The bill also includes:
- $2.3 billion to help fix local roads and bridges.
- $1.7 billion to fix state highway roadways and bridges.
- $750 million to help local governments meet their pension obligations and free up more funds for critical local services.
- $325 million for a new state psychiatric hospital complex.
- $414.5 million to maintain wage increases for direct care workers.
- $110 million for the Going Pro and Michigan Reconnect training programs.
- Funding to train and hire 170 state police troopers and train 800 corrections officers.
Senate Bill 845 is an education omnibus budget that features a nearly $2.6 billion increase in K-12 school funding to a total of $19.6 billion and uses $630.5 million to increase the minimum foundation allowance by another $450 to $9,150 per student. It also provides $295 million to address student mental health, $305 million in scholarship funding to help address teacher shortages, $168 million in school safety grants, and nearly $1.5 billion for the school employee’s retirement system to put more resources in the classroom.
SB 845 also includes a 5% increase for university and community college operations, $300 million to pay down debt in the higher education retirement system, and $250 million in a fund for a new student scholarship program, details for which will be negotiated this summer.
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