Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her state of the state address from Detroit Diesel to highlight her focus on Michigan’s electric vehicle (EV) and manufacturing industry.
Whitmer touted Michigan as the future of electric vehicles. On Tuesday, Whitmer and GM announced a $6.5 billion investment in EV factories estimated to provide 4,000 jobs by 2024.
“The future of the auto industry is being built in Michigan, in plants like this one by union members,” Whitmer said. “And we are just getting started.”
Whitmer wants to provide a combined $2,500 EV rebate for families – $2,000 for the car and $500 for in-home charging equipment that would build on the $7,500 federal electric vehicle credit.
So far, most Michiganders drive gas vehicles. The Secretary of State’s office counts 5.8 million gas vehicles, 13,545 EVs, and 105,651 hybrid vehicles registered statewide.
“Every year, thousands more electric vehicles are sold in Michigan and all our major auto makers have committed to electrifying 100% of their fleets over the next 10-15 years,” Whitmer said. “Electric vehicles cost half as much to fuel and maintain as gas powered cars. Switching to electric will save families thousands of dollars a year.”
Lawmakers want to give EV makers even more taxpayer money.
On Wednesday, The Senate Finance Committee advanced a proposal to offer some companies $2.3 billion in tax cuts.
House Appropriations Chair Thomas Albert, R-Lowell, has also called for “targeted and sustainable tax relief.”
Whitmer touted fixing the roads, saying during her term, Michigan has repaired, rebuilt, or rehabilitated more than 13,000 lane miles of road as well as more than 900 bridges. Whitmer highlighted bipartisan work to cut personal property taxes for small businesses owners, repeal the tampon tax, and more.
“Together, we delivered over $420 million in relief to small businesses, empowering them to expand operations and retain over 200,000 jobs through COVID,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer proposed tax cuts for seniors and working families and increasing the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit – a bipartisan tax break for families offered at the federal and state level that Whitmer claimed would help more than 730,000 families.
“I’m ready to work across the aisle to roll back the retirement tax and save 500,000 households in Michigan an average of $1,000 bucks a year,” Whitmer said.
Whitmer touted funding the Soo Locks and a bipartisan $17 billion education bill to close the funding gap between schools.
Whitmer proposed lower insulin costs and expanding access to mental health – the final being a shared priority, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, told reporters today. He said a mental health package could move as soon as four to six weeks. Shirkey also prioritized getting kids back to in-person school, to which Whitmer agreed that “students belong in school.”
“We know it’s where they learn best,” Whitmer said. “Remote learning is not as fulfilling or conducive to a child’s growth. In-person learning is critical to social development and mental health. That’s why we will do everything we can to keep kids in the classroom.”
Despite $114 million of federal support, Flint Public schools are shifting to online school indefinitely.
Michigan’s current economic growth is declining along with the population. More Michiganders died in 2020 than were born, the Detroit News reported. Moreover, Michigan’s labor force has been at the lowest levels since the 1970s and the state faces a drastic labor shortage.
However, the state is sitting on billions of dollars that could be uses to attract inflow migration.
