State Rep. Jennifer Wortz voted in favor of the state budget agreement which passed the House and Senate early Friday morning. It now awaits the governor’s signature. The plan includes accountability requirements for the Secretary of State and Attorney General’s offices, invests in rural healthcare, puts nearly $2 billion into local and state roads, and makes strategic cuts to lower overall state spending in a responsible way.

“I was pleased to support a budget agreement that implemented a historic accountability framework within state government,” said Wortz, R-Quincy. “Departments like those managed by the Secretary of State and Attorney General will no longer be able to operate in the shadows. Other departments will no longer have access to unchecked slush funds created when they drastically and intentionally ask for funding for too many full-time employees.”

The plan makes significant cuts to waste, fraud, and abuse in state government, specifically the elimination of 2,000 ghost government employees. These ghost employees are full-time positions requested by departments that are never filled. The departments then pad their slush funds with money they receive for these ghost positions. Eliminating ghost employees saved hundreds of millions of dollars that were redirected into broad, widespread priorities that benefit all Michiganders.

The budget also includes $250 million in grants for rural hospitals. These funds will strengthen underserved hospitals, support long-term stability, and ensure families in every corner of Michigan have access to quality care close to home.

Finally, starting this year, the state budget will put nearly $2 billion more toward roads. These dollars will pave the way for continued improvements to Michigan’s infrastructure, including local roads and bridges. The agreement also ensures that the dollars people pay at the pump are used to fix the roads.

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