Fri Feb 28 06:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Whitmer Urges Unity, Economic Investment in State of the State Address

**Lansing, MI** – Governor Gretchen Whitmer delivered her penultimate State of the State address Wednesday, emphasizing the need for political unity and economic growth through investments in education and affordable housing. Addressing a Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate, Whitmer called for bipartisan cooperation, particularly with the new Republican-controlled legislature.

Key proposals included a “SMART education budget” aimed at improving academic performance, initiatives to boost male enrollment in higher education, streamlining business permits, limiting cellphone use in schools, and fixing Michigan’s roads. She also advocated for taxing nicotine products like vapes.

While acknowledging Michigan’s economic progress, including a rise in GDP and auto jobs, Whitmer expressed concerns over President Trump’s potential tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, warning of negative consequences for Michigan’s economy.

Her call for bipartisanship met with mixed reactions. State Representative Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) criticized Whitmer’s proposals as “great talking points,” while House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) expressed a positive relationship with the governor but rejected her proposed roads plan, preferring a tax-free alternative.

Whitmer’s plan for roads includes a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts, while Hall’s focuses on prioritizing roads over corporations. Both plans remain under consideration. The governor also announced a $2 billion plan to address the state’s affordable housing shortage, though details remained scarce. She further proposed reforming business permitting processes to speed up approvals and potentially refund fees where deadlines have been missed.

Other proposals included addressing the subminimum wage for tipped workers and expanding taxes on vaping products to combat addiction. While Whitmer celebrated past successes, some of her claims, such as the net growth in auto jobs, were challenged by recent data. The governor notably omitted any mention of the SOAR fund, a corporate incentive program, in her address. The future of these proposals remains uncertain as negotiations with the legislature proceed.

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