Historic ‘Building Michigan Together Plan’ provides hope for more bipartisan work ahead

A version of this column originally appeared in the League’s newsletter In the Loop. To sign up to receive our newsletter, click here.

Today, the Legislature returns to Lansing after its spring recess—though those of us who’ve been in the mitten these past few weeks can attest to the fact that it still feels very much like winter.

We at the League are feeling hopeful despite some cloudy skies, because before the recess began, we saw some really positive bipartisan work being done at the Capitol and we’re hoping to see it continue through budget season.

The bipartisan Building Michigan Together Plan, which passed out of the Legislature and was signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as the spring recess began, provides nearly $5 billion in state and federal funding to make historic investments in residents and communities’ pressing needs. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic and before it, the League has advocated for affordable, accessible housing, improved broadband access, and safer water infrastructure as ways to make Michigan a better place for all residents now and in the future. 

The Building Michigan Together Plan includes nearly $2 billion to address critical water infrastructure needs, including $325 million to update crisis-level water infrastructure in Benton Harbor and other communities and replace lead service lines around the state. The plan includes critical investment to implement “filter first” protections for safer drinking water in our schools. Funding will also go toward repairing failing septic systems in rural areas, updating pumping stations to clear floods, and repairing dams in Midland and Gladwin counties and across Michigan.

We appreciate the commitment and all the work behind the scenes to reach that agreement and release that vital funding.

That is exactly what the federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act was intended for—to address the crises facing Michiganders and our communities while also making one-time investments that can permanently transform our infrastructure, our lives, and our future. The plan rightfully recognizes the individual and collective needs of our communities, addressing immediate problems and preventing future emergencies around the state, and directing funding to residents and communities with the greatest current challenges.

The Building Michigan Together Plan shows yet again that policymakers can find common ground, even amid contention and political tension, and that all of Michigan reaps the benefits when they do.

We hope that compromise can serve as inspiration for continued bipartisan collaboration on additional, equally historic supplemental funding and a 2023 state budget that works for everyone.

In the coming months, lawmakers should build on the same principles and priorities of that compromise and direct additional funding to our state’s greatest needs, like equitable K-12 education, access to healthcare and improving health outcomes for all Michiganders, and helping families with low incomes who were hit disproportionately hard by the pandemic.

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