State Rep. Doug Wozniak (R-Shelby Township) voted in favor of the final state budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The budget focuses on record high funding for schools, smart infrastructure investments, and greater government transparency.

“This budget is a win for working families, seniors, and taxpayers across Michigan,” said Wozniak. “We’re making life more affordable, fixing roads, and finally putting an end to wasteful government spending.”

Key Highlights of the Budget:

• Eliminates taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security income: Provides tax relief for more than 500,000 Michigan workers and retirees to help offset the rising cost of living.
• $1.6 billion in new road funding: Supports ongoing repairs and upgrades to roads and bridges, with a focus on using gas tax revenue as intended.
• $26 million for Selfridge Air National Guard Base: Funds critical infrastructure upgrades and runway replacement to prepare the base for a new fighter jet mission and secure Michigan’s role in national defense.
• Eliminates 2,000 ‘ghost’ government jobs: Cuts unfilled positions used to inflate department budgets, saving hundreds of millions and redirecting funds to essential services.
• Full transparency for earmarks: Requires all special projects to go through a public process, bars for-profit companies from receiving earmarks, and locks in permanent transparency laws for future budgets.
• $800 million reduction in state general fund spending: Reverses government expansion by shrinking the size and cost of state operations.
• Record-high $10,050 per student for K-12 education: Includes full funding parity for cyber schools to ensure all students receive equal support.
• $321 million for school safety and mental health programs: Restores critical funding for student safety and wellness initiatives across public and private schools.
• Ends wasteful spending on empty office buildings: Eliminates leases for unused office space and increases oversight of remote state workers.
• Upgrades Bridge Cards with chip technology: Enhances security in Michigan’s food assistance program and helps prevent fraud.
• No new fees: Blocks efforts to raise fees on everything from hunting licenses to car registrations, with the only new revenue coming from marijuana and being matched by equal spending cuts.
• Eliminates hundreds of millions in pork spending: Removes political earmarks and redirects funds to long-term infrastructure and education needs.

“This budget is about restoring trust in how our state spends taxpayer dollars,” said Wozniak. “We’re cutting back on waste, funding real priorities, and helping Michigan families keep more of what they earn. That’s exactly what the people sent us here to do.”