Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she’s looking to expand human services spending and business incentives as she looks ahead to the next state budget.
The governor made a stop Wednesday in Traverse City to talk about the $57.4 billion budget she just signed this week for the fiscal year that begins October 1.
But she said she’s already thinking about the next budget for the fiscal year that begins in 2024.
The governor specifically mentioned expanding support for day care, mental health services and affordable housing. She would also like to boost business attraction incentives such as a research-and-development tax credit to act as a lure to the manufacturing sector.
“These are all items that will be top of mind as we do that work,” she said.
“We’ve made great strides when it comes to day care, but there’s more good work to do there as well,” said Whitmer. “Affordable housing is another place where we’ve made huge investments, but there’s such great need, we’re going to need to continue this work going forward. So we’re already starting to write next year’s budget. That never slows down.”
The governor had House and Senate Democratic majorities to work to craft the budget she just signed. But those majorities are slim, and there’s no guarantee they will hold through the next budget cycle.
