State Rep. Doug Wozniak, of Shelby Township, today expressed his disappointment with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s vetoes on particular items within the state budget recently approved by the Michigan Legislature for the 2019-20 fiscal year.

The governor this week turned down millions in funding for essential services across the state, including money toward supporting the state’s roads, PFAS prevention, local health care, career and technical education programs and resources for autism services.

“For no reason other than to tax Michigan families an extra $6 to $10 every time they fill up at the pump, Gov. Whitmer has decided to slash funding for a variety of essential services and programs throughout Macomb County and across our state,” Wozniak said.

Wozniak said the governor’s reductions in spending across various areas in the overall budget plan – 147 line-item vetoes in all – will have wide-reaching implications for people in Macomb County.

Whitmer’s budget vetoes included:

• $375 million for much-needed road and bridge repairs.
• $15 million in grants for monitoring PFAS at municipal airports.
• $129.5 million in increases in hospital Medicaid rate reimbursements.
• $23 million in career and technical programs and equipment for K-12 schools.
• $1.5 million in autism funding, including funding for a Navigator program that helps connect families affected by autism to the services they need.
• Completely defunding Pure Michigan, the state’s popular tourism promotion campaign

“The Legislature presented the governor with a budget plan that fully funded these programs and services without raising taxes for the hard-working men and women of Michigan, but Gov. Whitmer turned them all down because she was more interested in focusing on one singular issue that happened to be her biggest campaign promise,” Wozniak said, noting the governor’s initial 45-cent per gallon gas tax increase to fund roads. “A budget is more than just one issue, and that will be fully felt in the fallout from these cuts. While we have an obligation to make sure we are respecting taxpayers’ hard-earned money, we also have an obligation to invest in the programs that provide our state and Macomb County with adequate benefits.”