Michigan lawmakers passed an $81 billion state budget early Friday morning for next year.
Local 4’s co-morning anchor and Flashpoint host Jason Colthorp had a chance to talk to Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Oct. 3 to hear her thoughts on the recently passed budget.
Related --> Michigan lawmakers pass state budget bills
You can watch the interview at the beginning of this article
Q: Are you happy with this budget?
“I am happy with this budget. I think it’s a damn good budget. There were tough negotiations. The House is Republican controlled, the Senate is Democratic controlled and, of course, I’ve got my own set of vantage point agenda that I want to get accomplished for the people of Michigan, so it took a little longer than it should’ve. But, at the end of the day, we brought everyone together, we got it done, and I think it’s a darn good budget for the people of Michigan.”
Q: Let’s get into roads. You got the roads money there to do that. You had to get a 24% tax on marijuana. Now for an industry that’s already paying a sales tax and another 10% tax. Do you think it’s fair to add that 24% on top of all of that for marijuana owners?
“I understand the concern. I don’t want to sound like I’m unsympathetic. We did have a lot of conversation about how do we make sure what we regulate and support the industry, but also that we have a responsible policy on the books.
The 24% actually makes us commensurate with other states in our region. It is not out of line, and it’s not even close to the tobacco tax on tobacco products or taxes on alcohol. It was a negotiated number that was arrived at, and I think that is something that will ensure that we can continue to provide services to people and that the industry can still thrive.”
Q: When we talk about the timing and why this went into overtime, we heard a lot of rhetoric, some press conferences, both from Speaker of the House Matt Hall and Majority Leader Winnie Brinks really going at each other. When that happens, what did you do? How did you deal with that? Did you kind of play Peacemaker or just let them work this out?
“Oh no, when you’re at the table throughout, and I have been working really hard to have a good working relationship with both leaders. It’s never assumed relationships take work, and it’s something I put a lot of effort into because my job is to deliver for the people of Michigan.
The people of Michigan sent Matt Hall to be Speaker and Winnie Brinks to be the Senate Majority Leader, and my job is to try to keep the rhetoric down and all the energy focused on problem-solving. So, I’m grateful that we got where we did. I think everyone can look at this budget and say, ‘All right. We had to negotiate, make some concessions here, but we got this big priority done for our agenda, and we can all take pride in that.’
I think the people in Michigan benefit from that. That’s what negotiation is. That’s what we do. It’s important that we don’t look like Washington, D.C., where they’ve got a shutdown right now. We’ve continued to do the work here in Michigan.”
Q: It’s only going to be a few months before you submit your next budget. Do you feel like, because Matt Hall has gotten one process under his belt, next year might be a little easier?
“I hope so. Election years are never simple, but sometimes budgets move faster in election years because I think legislators are eager to get home and get connected to their constituency before elections time. So, I’m hopeful that it moves smoothly and faster next year. And like you said, my team, I’m telling everyone to get some sleep this weekend. They’ve been working 24/7 weeks on end, but we got to get right back at it on Monday and get ready for the next year.”
You can watch Jason’s full coverage of the budget and Whitmer’s comments on Flashpoint, this Sunday at 10 a.m.