State Rep. Sue Allor and the Michigan Legislature approved a budget that will bring improvements to Northern Michigan, including the lives of seniors, students, and those who could benefit from better access to mental health care.

Under today’s budget proposal, $6 million will go toward the Alpena Wastewater Treatment, $3.86 million will go toward a senior-living complex, $5 million will go toward McLaren Hospital’s Northern Michigan Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program, and $8 million will go toward McLaren Hospital’s EmPATH Cheboygan program.

Mental and behavioral health facilities and programs are slated to receive a $625 million boost to improve services for both children and adults across the state. Further, a $19.6 billion school aid fund includes a record-high per-student base grant of $9,150. Special education programs will receive more than $1.9 billion, including a $246 million increase in reimbursements to help districts improve services. $168 million will support school safety, and $25 million will support school resource officers.

“This is a major win for Northern Michigan,” said Allor, of Wolverine. “This funding will help provide improvements for those suffering from mental health ailments – which is a growing issue in our region – as well as help provide improvements to our schools, and valuable projects that directly affect the daily lives of Michigan’s citizens. I applaud my colleagues for finalizing an overall state budget that provides much-needed stability for families and communities as we return to normalcy.”

The budget bills (House Bill 5783 and Senate Bill 845) now advance to Gov. Whitmer for further consideration.

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