In case you missed it, Governor Gretchen Whitmer moved the date of her State of the State address from Feb. 5th to Feb. 12th to avoid conflicting with President Trump’s State of the Union, which was pushed back from Jan. 29th due to the 35-day government shutdown. Lansing has highly anticipated the new governor’s first address to the Legislature. Unfortunately, it looks like we will have to wait a bit longer.
So what is expected at Gov. Whitmer’s first State of the State? Sarah Hubbard, Acuitas Principal, says we will see the governor’s priorities outlined February 12th, but “expect her to stick with some of the themes from her campaign, such as clean water, infrastructure, and road funding.” A plan to “fix the damn roads” will undoubtedly be a major talking point. Clean water will also be emphasized, as both the Flint Water Crisis and PFAS remain unresolved issues in Michigan. At a recent small business event in Clare, Gov. Whitmer told retired educators that Michigan will hear a lot about her education plan during her State of the State address. The governor’s plan comes on the heels of the Michigan State University study that found Michigan ranks dead last in funding growth for K-12 schools.
Gov. Whitmer’s State of the State address is expected to take place Feb. 12th at 7pm in the House Chamber.