LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her eighth and final State of the State address Wednesday night, focusing on health care access, housing affordability, and literacy reforms.
The speech marked another year of divided government, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding the House.
House Speaker Matt Hall pointed to past bipartisan agreements as proof that major negotiations are still possible.
“We cut over 800 million of waste, fraud, and abuse,” Hall said, referencing a previous road funding deal. “We paired that with the marijuana tax, and now we’re putting $2 billion a year in the roads every year, permanently.”
Hall said he wants to pursue what he called the largest tax reform in state history, including eliminating the state property tax, ending the personal property tax and requiring utilities to lower rates.
“Let’s work together on the biggest tax reform in Michigan’s history, and let’s save people on their property taxes,” Hall said.
House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri, D-Canton, praised Whitmer’s focus on politically achievable proposals.
“I thought the governor hit a home run. She’s a pro at this. This is her eighth State of the State,” Puri said.
Puri acknowledged that with divided control of the Legislature, compromise will be necessary.
“The reality is, it’s not a Democrat trifecta, so there’s going to be some need for concession,” he said.
With elections approaching and all House and Senate seats on the ballot, lawmakers say the coming months will test whether bipartisan agreements can be reached on taxes, health care, and education, or whether political differences deepen heading into November.
