State Rep. Greg Alexander this week stood up for Michigan taxpayers by voting against a budget plan that provides a poor return on investment and eschews key safeguards.

Alexander highlighted the record-high spending with the plan at nearly $82 billion. Annual adjusted gross appropriations have increased by over $30 billion from where they were a decade prior.

“The state had a $9 billion surplus when I entered the Legislature in January, which was the result of careful consideration by previous Republican-led Legislatures for dollars afforded to state government,” said Alexander, of Carsonville. “But we’ve blown through that and now Democrats are going back to taxpayers for even more spending as part of this budget. This is not sustainable spending. It will force tough decisions later and unfairly impact future generations in our region and across our state.”

Alexander said huge price tags – such as $125 million for clean buses, $500 million that can be authorized for corporate giveaways through the state’s Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve and funding to create 1,000 new bureaucratic positions – don’t address real needs and made for a hastily arranged product.

“This was not a budget process that was transparent or respectful to hard-working taxpayers and legislators who are in Lansing to serve as their voice,” Alexander said. “Republicans in the House did not even know what was in the final form of the bill until just a few hours before we voted on it. That’s not good governing, and the people lose out. It was important to state very clearly with my vote that this reckless process and proposal was not acceptable.”

House Bill 4437 and Senate Bill 173, which contain the budget plans, will soon proceed to the governor for review.