SOTS 2024

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Good evening, Michigan! How about them Lions?

I am excited to be here tonight between two leaders who have gotten a lot done over

the past year: Speaker Joe Tate and Majority Leader Winnie Brinks.

Please join me in thanking Major General Paul Rogers, Colonel James Grady, and

those who serve in our State Police and National Guard.

To our state employees, my cabinet and executive office staff—thank you for your

tireless efforts on behalf of the people of Michigan.

Like some of you, I am a product of the ‘80s. I love big hair and bold leather jackets.

Classic movies and of course, classic rock.

something in it for everyone, and all the tracks—or policies—were bound by a common

theme: making a real difference in people’s lives.

We composed this record thanks to the people in this room and every Michigander at

home. Groups only succeed when all its members are thriving, and lately, Michigan has

been playing in harmony.

Let’s go through the set list.

A lot of people had faith we would roll back the retirement tax on our seniors. We got it

third shift get hundreds more dollars back in their pockets. Let’s acknowledge Senator

Kristen McDonald Rivet for getting it done.

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This year, the Democratic legislative majority delivered $1 billion in tax relief. This year,

seniors will keep more of what they earned and hundreds of thousands of working

families will get refund checks, putting money back in their pockets to help with

groceries, gas, or home repairs.

protect abortion rights and repealed our extreme 1931 abortion ban with Representative

Pohutsky and Senator Geiss.

For every sweet child of ours in Michigan, we made school breakfast and lunch free.

All 1.4 million public school students get 2 meals a day so they can focus on learning

and parents save $850 a year on groceries, per child. I want to thank Senator Darrin

Camilleri and Representative Regina Weiss who led this effort. When I introduce my

next budget, we’re going to keep feeding students and lowering grocery bills.

While some folks in Washington are trying to repeal the ACA and strip away health care

for kids, seniors, and working families, we got your back like a rock in Michigan. We will

protect your care—no matter what. I want to thank Representative Matt Koleszar and

Senator Kevin Hertel for their work on this issue.

While other states restrict your freedom to be who you are and love who you love, we

heed the words of Ms. Diana Ross and say we’re coming out to protect equal rights for

the LGBTQ+ community! Thank you, Senator Moss and Representative Hoskins, for

your leadership.

• will reach 100% clean energy by 2040,

• lower the cost of household utilities by an average of $145 a year,

• and create thousands of good-paying jobs, backed by the strongest labor

standards in the country.

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• We will make more American energy employing American workers.

We got into the groove last year, but great bands do not rest on their laurels—they

make the next record better than the last one. There’s more to do, and nothing is gonna

stop us now.

Let’s talk about the challenges Michiganders face today. Top of mind is costs. It’s hard

to buy a house, afford a car, or save for retirement while keeping up with bills. People

put things off to make ends meet: replacing old tires… fixing busted gutters… buying

your child a warmer coat.

Tonight, that’s what I’ll focus on—how we can keep lowering costs… improve education

to set up our children for success… make more stuff right here in Michigan… and

compete with the world.

First, costs. No one likes paying $6 for a box of cereal or more for an oil change than

they did last year. But I want to be upfront with you: I cannot solve global inflation alone.

No one person can—not even the President. If you meet someone who says they have

a secret plan to fix inflation—run!

What we can do is make life more affordable by lowering costs on the biggest items in

like Tri-Share that slash the cost of child care by 66%… we are taking action.

Things are headed in the right direction. Inflation is slowing down… unemployment

remains low… and take home pay is up. It’s a great time to find a good-paying job, with

unions fighting successfully for better pay and benefits. President Biden’s policies are

bringing jobs and supply chains home to Michigan from China.

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Still, Michiganders need more breathing room. This year, we will continue our work to

lower costs on the biggest items in your budget. So, let’s get into it.

A few weeks ago, I rolled out the Michigan Vehicle Rebate, a plan to lower the cost of

buying a new car with a $1,000 rebate off any car and $2,000 for electric vehicles. If it

year. We want our auto workers and our auto industry to thrive right here in Michigan.

Let’s help them both do what they do best—make the world’s best cars and trucks. With

the MI Vehicle Rebate we can lower costs and support the ongoing transition to an all-

electric, union-made future.

Next, housing, usually the largest expense in everyone’s budget. Right now, too many

families spend more than half their income on their rent or mortgage… Our housing

stock is old—nearly half of all units in Michigan were built before 1970… Young people

cite housing affordability as one of their top concerns.

housing!

Our response will be simple: build, baby, build!

Our target is clear: in Michigan’s first-ever statewide housing plan that I commissioned

last year, we set a goal of 75,000 new or refurbished units in 5 years.

We are headed in the right direction. In the 5 years since I took office, we’ve invested

double what we did in the previous 8 years to build or rehabilitate 34,000 housing

units, supporting 20,000 good-paying construction jobs.

In 2024, let’s build more of every kind of housing—single family homes, apartments,

and mixed-use buildings.

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In 2024, we will make the largest investment to build housing in Michigan history.

We will invest almost $1.4 billion to build or rehabilitate nearly 10,000 homes. That’s

10 times what we put into housing just 10 years ago. Getting this done will support

thousands of good-paying, middle-class jobs in the skilled trades—from pipefitters and

Finally, I’m calling for a new caregiver tax credit, that will put money back in the pockets

of Michiganders who care for an aging or sick relative.

I know how tiring caregiving can be, especially when you’re juggling a career and kids of

your own. When I was sandwiched between my newborn daughter and my mom who

was dying from brain cancer, I was pushed to my limit despite having resources and

help.

I know a lot of people are concerned about how much it'll take—or is taking—to care for

By allowing people to write off caregiving expenses including counseling, transportation,

and nursing or respite services, we can save them money. We can help more seniors

age-in-place at home instead of a costlier long-term care facility. We can support

parents of children with long-term care needs by saving them money.

We know the burden of caregiving falls disproportionately on women and especially

women of color. While the caregiving work they do is often invisible, it is invaluable.

According to the AARP, family members provide $522 billion in uncompensated care

every year.

I am proud of the record bipartisan investments we’ve made since I took office.

Republicans and Democrats came together to raise per-pupil funding by 22% in 5

years. That’s hundreds more dollars for your child invested directly into your local

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school to lower class sizes and upgrade shop classrooms and computer labs. We also

invested in campus safety and mental health and made breakfast and lunch free. When

kids are unsafe… struggling… or starving, they cannot reach their full potential.

Every parent knows that the person standing at the front of the classroom matters. In

We’re sending a message LOUD and CLEAR: we support our teachers.

We walk the walk. We fund scholarships for future educators, pay student teachers, and

help full-time teachers with their student loans so they stay in Michigan. We accept out-

of-state certificates, so if you have experience, you can enter the classroom without

jumping through bureaucratic hoops. As a result, enrollment rates in Michigan’s teacher

prep programs are beating other states. If you want to teach, we want you here.

We let teachers focus on doing what they do best: teaching!

A big part of that is starting education earlier and continuing later.

4-year-olds who go to pre-K arrive at kindergarten better prepared to learn. They are

more likely to graduate, go to college, and earn more. And we know higher education or

skills training leads to higher incomes.

If you get an associates degree you can earn $23,000 more a year. The best-paying

jobs today and in our future economy require some education after high school.

And you know what? This year we’re going to go a heck of a lot further.

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In our next budget, let’s deliver pre-K for every single 4-year-old in Michigan... 2

years ahead of schedule.

When we get this done, no matter who you are, where you come from, or how much

you make, your child can enroll in pre-K and be set up for success. Let this be a

and electricians—tuition-free for anyone 21 and older with Michigan Reconnect.

Today, let’s go further.

In our next budget, let's make the first 2 years of community college in Michigan

tuition-free for every high school graduate.

As Michiganders pursue an associates degree or skills certificate at a community

college, they can save an average of $4,000 on tuition. This is a transformational

opportunity for graduating seniors and will help us achieve our Sixty by 30 goal to have

Finally, let’s talk about making it in Michigan.

Over the last few years, we have seen a manufacturing renaissance, driven by

President Biden’s investments in American workers and industry. It’s happening

nationwide, with 800,000 manufacturing jobs added since 2021. Companies are

investing in America and especially in Michigan in a big way. We are competing and

winning the future of the auto industry, making cars, semiconductors, and batteries here

instead of China.

You may have heard about expansions by the Big Three in Detroit, Lansing, and Flint…

• Calumet Electronics in the Keweenaw Peninsula…

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We’re showing the world that we make a lot more than just cars. In the decades ahead,

we will dominate the manufacturing of batteries, chips, and clean energy too.

To keep winning, we must upgrade our economic development toolkit. We can and must

outcompete our neighbors. Tonight, I want to talk about some new tools.

Our current toolkit limits our ability to attract small and second stage businesses. Let’s

start the HIRE Michigan Fund to lower overall payroll taxes for these firms. The value

here is simple: the more you hire in Michigan, the more you should save in Michigan.

We had a similar, bipartisan program years ago that worked well. So, let’s bring it

back—because everyone loves a throwback.

We also need to uplift regions that have too often been left out or left behind.

Renaissance Zones are strategically selected areas with lower taxes for businesses and

entrepreneurs so we can drive investment and create local jobs. We already have

launch hundreds of new Michigan-based startups and create thousands of jobs.

Together, we’re going to build the infrastructure for innovation so founders can start and

build their companies here in Michigan.

As we win all these projects, our infrastructure must keep up. The Growing Michigan

Together Council identified infrastructure as one of the keys to growing our population.

That’s why we are fixing the damn roads, bridges, pipes, and everything in between.

Since I took office, we have fixed 20,000 lane miles of road and 1,400 bridges,

supporting 118,000 good-paying jobs. I know you saw it last year. Our state flower—

Detroit… the 475-69 interchange in Flint… 94 in Jackson… 196 between Holland and

Saugatuck… and 496 a few blocks away. We made progress on them all.

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Tonight, I’m calling on the Michigan Department of Transportation to authorize the

final $700 million of the Rebuilding Michigan Plan.

This final round of projects includes 94 along the Metro Airport, 696 from Southfield

through Warren, and a bridge in Erie Township. The Rebuilding Michigan Plan is making

Hell, just look at our Lions. Once a punchline, now a powerhouse. They’ve dominated

by centering the grit that defines every Michigander. On the way up, they turned

naysayers and cynics into dreamers. And I don’t know if you recall, but our Wolverines

are national champions. Both these incredible teams are showing the country what

Michigan is all about.

That story—our story—can be seen in our people’s stories. Tonight, I want to tell you

one, about a woman named Elaine, who is here with us today. Elaine, please stand.

Olive Garden across the street—a sit-down restaurant with metal forks and waiters who

refill your glass without you even asking.

Elaine worked hard, using food stamps to put groceries in the fridge and housing

assistance to keep a roof over her son’s heads. She was a secretary for years, but

wanted to chase her dream and get a job that gave her purpose. She never thought she

could do it. Elaine, I’m glad you proved yourself wrong.

She went back to Wayne State with a Pell Grant, earning 2 degrees. After graduating

with her master’s in social work at 45, she had a successful career in Saginaw. In