For Immediate Release
Sept. 22, 2021
Contact:
Alex Rossman
arossman@mlpp.org
517-775-9053
Bipartisan budget makes major investments to benefit all residents, economy
League applauds investments in child care, maternal and infant health, workforce supports like Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners, and other health and nutrition needs
LANSING—The Michigan League for Public Policy issued the following statement on the bipartisan 2022 state budget passed today. The statement can be attributed to League President and CEO Gilda Z. Jacobs. In addition to the historic child care funding included in the budget today, the League also submitted written testimony yesterday to the Michigan House Families, Children, and Seniors Committee in support of a positive, bipartisan package of child care bills.
“This bipartisan budget shows that as we continue to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a lot of common ground our leaders can find for the greater good of the state. These investments meet the needs of many Michigan residents, Democrat and Republican, businesses and workers, elected officials and the people they serve, building on many of the League’s longstanding policy priorities. The budget includes many win-win items that found political compromise to address residents’ individual needs in ways that have positive, global ripples through our communities and local economies. We also are happy to see money directed to some of the state’s other health and nutrition needs that have preceded our current crisis and will linger after it.
“Child care continues to be a focus of the League’s and a bipartisan priority that benefits parents and their children, meets the needs of workers and businesses, and supports the child care industry and rightfully recognizes providers as small businesses themselves. Today’s budget includes major investment in a variety of child care needs, including expanding the economic eligibility level for the state’s child care subsidy, and providing stabilization grants and increasing reimbursement rates to providers to help them stay above water and buffer their bottom line. Funding is also directed to help expand care for infants and toddlers, the biggest child care need around the state and especially in rural areas, as well as startup grants, facility improvements and technical assistance for child care providers and bonuses for the state’s underpaid child care workers who earn just barely over the minimum wage.”
“There are many positives in today’s budget, and we hope that this bipartisanship and spirit of compromise will continue as the Legislature and governor continue to hammer out an agreement in the coming months on how—and where—to spend the billions of dollars in federal funding the state currently has to work with.”
2022 Budget Highlights Include Investments In:
- Michigan Reconnect and Futures for Frontliners;
- Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program and specifically the extension of Medicaid coverage for new moms to one year postpartum, both key recommendations in the League’s 2020 Right Start Report;
- Home visiting programs for new parents;
- Wage increases for direct care workers;
- The Lead Poisoning Prevention Fund;
- The Double Up Food Bucks Program that gives more food assistance money for healthy fruits and vegetables
- Healthcare for residents experiencing sickle cell disease, which predominantly impacts Black Michiganders.
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The Michigan League for Public Policy, www.mlpp.org, is a nonprofit policy institute focused on opportunity for all. Its mission is to advance economic security, racial equity, health and well-being for all people in Michigan through policy change. It is the only state-level organization that addresses poverty in a comprehensive way.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Jacob Kaplan 
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Donald Stuckey 
Patrick Schaefer
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Amber Bellazaire joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a policy analyst in June of 2019. Her work primarily focuses on state policy and budgets affecting Michigan’s Medicaid programs. Previously, Amber worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures tracking legislation and research related to injury and violence prevention, adolescent health, and maternal and child health. She also brings with her two years of Americorps service. As a full time volunteer, Amber had the opportunity to tutor high school students in Chelsea, Massachusetts and address issues of healthcare access and food insecurity through in-person outreach in Seattle, Washington.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
