State Rep. Matthew Bierlein, of Vassar, today said many proposed initiatives within Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State address will create further affordability concerns for people, instead of easing the stress on their budgets.

Whitmer laid out plans for two years of free community college for all high school graduates, $1.4 billion in housing earmarks, additional green energy incentives and other costly, big government ventures. These plans come on the heels of a state budget for the current fiscal year that spent over $80 billion.

“These big government plans come with big asks of hardworking taxpayers across our region,” Bierlein said. “It’s not the right approach at a time when many people I talk with are struggling every day with their own budgets. They want to keep more of what they earn, drive on good roads and feel safe in their communities. I think a lot of legislators listening to that speech can say the same about people they represent. 

“There’s common ground we can use to make our state a better place to live, work and raise a family for many people, instead of dreaming up carveouts for select groups using a seemingly endless well of taxpayer dollars.”

Bierlein highlighted the current 54-54 split in the House, making broad support critical for proposals addressing problems workers and families are facing. On top of lowering taxes and dedicating funding to local roads, Bierlein said the Legislature should be working to shore up student performance through stronger education standards and reforming a beleaguered Unemployment Insurance Agency that has let down individuals seeking benefits they were owed and squandered billions of dollars through fraud.

“A population commission the governor recently formed reported that seven out of 10 Michigan students can’t read or do math proficiently, despite our state spending more money than ever before on K-12 schools,” Bierlein said. “Investing in our future generations is incredibly important, but we need to do more than throw money at a problem. We need sound, practical solutions.”