State Rep. Roger Hauck, of Union Township, today joined colleagues in the Michigan Legislature in giving final approval to a plan restoring budget funding vetoed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer earlier this year.

The governor vetoed nearly $1 billion in Legislature-approved funding when she signed the budget plan for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.

“I think there’s still some work to do in terms of re-establishing funding for career technical education to help provide people with a way to make a living, diversify Michigan’s workforce and fill needed jobs,” Hauck said. “But this was a good start in restoring investments across multiple areas. This is money that pays for basic services people in this state rely on every day and it was slated to be taken away. There was strong bipartisan support in the House for this restoration plan and I’m looking forward to the governor reviewing it.”

The approved plan would restore the most critical of those vetoed funds – protecting children, seniors and communities in central Michigan. Essential funding for secondary road patrol programs throughout the state will mean safer neighborhood streets and local sheriff’s offices aren’t forced to lay off deputies.

Tuition grant money for 17,000 independent college students would be restored within the plan. Adjusted funding would ensure public charter school students get the same investment from the state as all other public school students and $7 million would be dedicated to Michigan’s rural school districts that serve more isolated populations.

Within the Department of Corrections budget, a program would be restored to allow counties to reimburse county jails for housing certain offenders in their jails.

Other features of the plan include:

• $1 million for the Autism Navigator program helping connect families with services.

• $350,000 for a new autism intervention training program to help infants and toddlers with developmental delays.

• $10 million for school safety grants.

• $400,000 to bolster care for Michigan’s Alzheimer and dementia community.

• $16.6 million for rural hospitals and additional money for critical access hospitals serving Medicaid and low-income patients.

• $10.7 million to improve pediatric psychiatric services.

• Loan repayment funding for primary care residents if they work in underserved areas in specialties that consist of: family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, general OBYN, psychiatry or general surgery.

• Nearly $2 million to continue the fight against opioid drug abuse.

The supplemental legislation now advances to the governor for consideration and expected signature.