State Rep. Matthew Bierlein recently voted for a budget agreement that invests locally, spends responsibly and promotes accountable government practices.

“People throughout our communities are struggling with their own budgets. They shouldn’t be expected to foot the bill for massive, unsustainable government programs and hundreds of new government employees,” Bierlein said. “We worked to ensure that this budget respects taxpayers and still funds priorities. I also was pleased to see the protections within this agreement to ensure government is working in a transparent way. Too often, we have seen overreach, abuses of power, and state programs that are not working as intended. We did a deep dive in this budget to provide real reforms and solutions.”

Highlights of the budget agreement include:

Supporting students and schools – The budget increases per-pupil spending by $250 to $10,300 per student, ensures educators and students will meet new curriculum requirements that focus on the successful science of reading program to improve literacy rates, and continues investments in mental health and school safety funding. The plan includes $50 million in new funding for tutoring services to help kids who are struggling, and provides resources for teacher bonuses, dual enrollment, bus services, and more.

Protecting taxpayers – Bierlein and House Republicans successfully pushed back on $800 million in proposed tax increases and attempts to raid the state’s rainy-day fund. The budget agreement includes no new tax increases, no fee increases for hunting and fishing licenses, and comes in lower than the current year budget to return money to taxpayers. After eliminating thousands of “ghost” employee positions – ones that are budgeted through tax dollars but never filled – as part of the current year budget, the budget agreement eliminates 250 more.

Energy cost transparency – Language in the budget requires the Michigan Public Service Commission to provide clear explanations to the Legislature when evaluating utility rate increases. The commission has approved $1 billion in rate hikes on utility customers since 2023. Bierlein said this new layer of oversight will help address rising energy costs for families.

Holding state government accountable – The agreement reins in the state Attorney General to stop politicized lawsuits and removes IT project oversight from the Secretary of State after multiple projects saw delays and cost overruns. Language in the budget also fixes elements of the Rural Health Transformation application process to protect rural health care and get resources to where they are most needed.

The plan now heads to the governor for review.