LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her seventh State of the State address Wednesday night, covering several major topics including reducing costs for Michiganders, bolstering jobs in the state and more.
Her overall theme of the night was working together to get things done. She says bipartisanship is required to achieve that goal. That's a shift from the previous two years when Democrats were in control over the state Legislature. Republicans gained a majority in the Michigan House following November's general election.
Watch the full speech below:
"As governor, I've signed six balanced bipartisan budgets and nearly 1,500 bipartisan bills, 1,000 of those under a Republican-controlled Legislature," says Governor Whitmer. "My north star has always been collaboration."
The governor says she's open to working with President Trump but is concerned on the potential impact to the state's automotive industry.
Before she laid out the plan for the road ahead, she took the time to highlight some of the state's accomplishments. Those include the acquisition of a $2.7 billion rainy-day fund and paying $26 billion in debts. She also mentioned the GDP's 35% growth and the addition of nearly 40,000 auto jobs, along with increased median household incomes.
This time around, the governor wants to bring costs down for Michiganders and focus on jobs and results.
Governor Whitmer says 140,000 new homes need to be built to meet a growing need for housing, saying, "We gotta build, baby, build."
She hopes to set aside $2 billion to invest in the construction or renovation of nearly 11,000 homes.
In the short term, the governor wants to hold conversations on fixing Michigan's roads for the long haul.
"Let's get back to the negotiating table in the coming days and weeks to find a long-term bipartisan solution so we can fix more of those damn roads," she says.
MEDICAL DEBT
One other major topic from her speech call on the state to cover the medical debt of many people in Michigan.
"Let's work across the aisle to reduce medical debt," says Governor Whitmer, "so being sick or getting hurt doesn't also mean being broke for the rest of your life."
The governor stated Michigan is one of only several states without consumer protections for medical debt. She asked lawmakers to press for solutions that would lift the burden for 700,000 Michiganders in debt.
Muskegon grandmother Sandra Chase is one of those people watching medical bills pile up.
Chase is currently undergoing treatment after discovering cancer within her thyroid last year.
"I dread walking out to the end of my driveway, to be honest with you, because I don't know what I'm gonna get out of that little gray box," she explained to FOX 17 Wednesday.
Doctor visits, lab tests, and medical procedures have become a part of her day-to-day-life.
While she has the support of her family to lean on, the promise of long term medical debt has become overwhelming.
"I try, like, maybe I won't go the doctor or something... but you can't, because you have to have this done," she said.
"You know for the rest of your life you're going to be tested so... in the back of your head, you're always going to have some type of medical bills."
If lawmakers are able to make something happen to relieve the debt burden for individual Michiganders, Chase says it would be nothing short of life-changing.
"All I could say is, wow," she said Wednesday. "It would just be a load off my shoulders."
Whitmer cites a $4.5 million fund in the 2024 Fiscal Year that the Michigan Democratic Party claims wiped out $450 million in medical debt payments for 118,000 people.
Governor Whitmer says rising costs due to inflation and potential tariffs are putting more financial pressure on people across the state.
Michigan is one of only a handful of states that have no consumer protections for medical debt, according to the governor. She will call on lawmakers from both parties to pass legislation to provide that protection and fund coverage of medical debt.
CELL PHONE BANS IN SCHOOLS
Another one of Governor Whitmer's legislative priorities for next year is to limit cell phone use in Michigan's schools.
"It's hard to teach geography or geometry when you're competing against memes or DMs," says Governor Whitmer. "I understand the need to be connected to your child. But we can do better. This year, let's pass bipartisan legislation to limit the use of phones in class."
The governor highlighted several statistics in her speech, explaining 95% of children can access smart phones. Half of them say they are online nearly all the time.
Governor Whitmer also referred to data showing how commonsense limits on phone use in classrooms results in more learning and less bullying.
Some school districts in West Michigan set their own rules on phone use. Grand Haven High School began incorporating a "no cell phones in class" policy at the beginning of the 2024–25 school year. Students are instructed to place their phones in a designated space before class starts.
At Northview High School, phones are placed inside "Faraday bags" while class is in session. The bags prevent signals from being transmitted to and from their devices. When we spoke to staff, they said they noticed a positive difference.
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Old technology stopping students from using phones in class
Rep. Bryan Posthumus delivered the Republicans' response to Whitmer's address. He says Michigan's budget could have been better spent, in part, on fixing the state's roads, public safety and education.
"Our state needs to focus on keeping more of its people's money in their own pocket," says Representative Posthumus. "Michiganders know far better how to spend their own money than the government ever will."
Watch the full rebuttal below:
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