Michigan Gov. Whitmer Plans Tougher Gun Laws, End Abortion Restrictions, and Provide Tax Relief

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday laid out an agenda that will prioritize tougher gun laws, repeal outdated laws that restrict abortion and marriage, and ensure preschool for all 4-year-olds in the state.

Whitmer, in her fifth State of the Union address, also pledged to help with rising costs through “immediate” tax credits, which she laid out in a three-tiered plan that includes an increase in the earned income tax credit and elimination of the superannuation tax.

The 51-year-old Democrat, who won re-election by nearly 11 percentage points last November, could see much of her agenda become a reality when Democrats take full control of state government for the first time in decades.

Addressing the entire Legislature in the House of Representatives, Whitmer also called for gun control legislation that includes universal background checks, safe custody laws, and “extreme risk protection orders,” also known as “red flags.”

Whitmer made it clear that she was “not talking about law-abiding citizens”. But she said that “despite the pleas” of the families of the 2021 school shooting at Oxford High School in southeast Michigan, “these issues were not even considered in the Legislative Assembly.”

“The time for thinking and praying is over,” Whitmer said. “It’s time for common sense to act to reduce gun violence in our communities.”

MICHIGAN GUB. WITMER TO ANNOUNCEMENT PLAN TO PROVIDE PRE-K TO ALL 4-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN IN THE STATE

After the speech, Senate Republican leader Aric Nesbitt warned against any sweeping gun laws, saying the Legislature needs to “make sure there’s a balance to all of this and protecting human rights.”

The State of the Union address was one of the first times Whitmer summarized specific legislation for the coming year, and Republicans criticized the governor for not laying out a broader plan to help Michigan residents.

“She has the House of Representatives, the Senate and herself. Where is the road plan? Where is her infrastructure plan?” This was stated to journalists by the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, Matt Hall. “Or are we just going to get a bunch of announcements from her about new government programs she wants to create?”

Michigan’s budget surplus is expected to reach $9.2 billion by next fall, of which $4.1 billion will go to the school aid fund.

Whitmer also vowed to continue the fight for “strong defense of our fundamental rights” that came after voters passed proposals to expand voting access and protect the right to abortion in the state constitution.

“I will go to any state that restricts people’s freedoms and win business people and hardworking people from them. I’m looking at you Ohio and Indiana,” Whitmer said.

Plans to help Michigan residents with rising costs have been unveiled in Whitmer’s MI Cost Reduction Plan, which she says will save families an average of $10,000 by providing free preschool to all 4-year-olds.

MICHIGAN GUB. WITMER LEFT TO EUROPE FOR THE WEF MEETING IN DAVOS

By providing Pre-K to more than 100,000 4-year-olds each year, Whitmer will deliver on a promise she first made when she ran for governor in 2018. She said the plan, which will take four years to complete, will help “parents, especially moms, get back to work and it will open hundreds more preschools across Michigan, supporting thousands of jobs.”

Former Republican Lieutenant Gov. Brian Colley, who is now president and CEO of the Michigan Small Business Association, said in a statement that Whitmer’s plan “ensures that every 4-year-old child in Michigan can receive free preschool through the end of her second term.” .

The full MI Cost Reduction proposal will also include the previously announced retirement tax elimination and a significant increase in the state’s earned income tax credit.

While Whitmer and other Democratic leaders in the Legislature announced plans for tax cuts during a January 12 news conference, the legislature is still negotiating the amount of the benefits. On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Housing and Social Services introduced a bill that would raise the earned income tax credit from 6% to 30% and be retroactive to the 2022 tax year.

House Republicans also seem to agree on an increase in the tax credit. State Rep. Bill G. Schuett of Midland said in a statement that he was “pleased” that Senate Democrats amended the bill to be retroactive to tax year 2022.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In her statement, Whitmer did not specifically address the Senate Democrats’ plan, but said the increase in the tax credit would “provide an average cumulative $3,000 return to more than 700,000 working families across Michigan.”

After Tuesday’s event in Lansing, Whitmer told reporters her “first and foremost goal” was to eliminate the retiree tax, but said there was still “a lot of discussion and negotiation.”