GRAND RAPIDS — Freshman Representative John Fitzgerald announced budget wins for his district and the surrounding area. According to a release from the Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, [the] budget lowers costs on health care, preschool, meals for kids, higher education, housing, and workforce training. It will help us keep fixing the damn roads and bridges, replacing lead pipes, and protecting public safety. And it will power ‘Make it in Michigan’, our comprehensive vision for economic development so we can win more projects, invest in people, and revitalize places.
“We have a great deal to celebrate with the passage of the budget. It advances investments that will strengthen Michigan by putting residents and communities first and help to revitalize our special, diverse corner of Wyoming,” said Representative John Fitzgerald. “A world-class public education system, a flourishing working class and a strong public health sector are the key components of a thriving community. Our budget allocates investments in those three key areas and so much more.”
Highlights of the budget wins for Kent County include:
- Delivers free breakfast and lunch to all students, including 12,217 more kids in your community, saving families over $850 a year per kid.
- Dedicates $8.8 million to your local school districts for mental health and school safety.
- Makes record investments in literacy, tutoring, and before- and after-school programs, including $5 million for the Boys and Girls Club of Grand Rapids.
- Includes $5 million for the Special Olympics to improve facility accessibility and fund workforce and leadership development, as well as health initiatives for the differently abled.
- Dedicates $4 million to the Godfrey-Lee School District for roof repair at the high school.
- Boosts revenue sharing by over $89 million for your local governments so they can improve quality of life for residents.
- Dedicates $35 million to the construction of two new Grand Rapids fire stations and a training and operations facility.
- Invests $20 million for the City of Wyoming’s City Center project, a transformational infrastructure project that will create economic opportunity for residents and put Wyoming on the map as the preeminent suburb in metro Grand Rapids.
- Provides resources to draw down federal funds to fix the damn roads and expand transit, rail, and marine infrastructure.
- Dedicates $5 million to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“The Make it in Michigan budget will build a bright future for our state,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “It lowers costs on health care, preschool, meals for kids, higher education, housing, and workforce training. It will help us keep fixing the damn bridges, replacing lead pipes, and protecting public safety. And it will power ‘Make it in Michigan,’ our comprehensive vision for economic development so we can win more projects, invest in people, and revitalize places. I am so grateful to the new leadership in the legislature for getting this done. Let’s keep our foot on the accelerator.”
The 2023-2024 fiscal year begins on October 1, 2023.
