In his seventh State of the State address, Gov. Rick Snyder took the podium in front of his constituents and the Michigan public at home Tuesday night in the Michigan Capitol House Chambers.
Snyder set the tone for his next to last year by reflecting on the optimistic change of his last six years and the numbers involved, but said the future is where the spotlight should be.
Here is a brief recap of Snyder's points.
Sexual Assault
Mobility
Written by Madison O’Connor | Design by Olivia Dimmer
Environment
Education
Opioid Abuse
Click on a word above to see what Gov. Rick Snyder and his administration had to say on each topic during his seventh State of the State address.
Economy
Flint
Jobs
Infrastructure
Population
“We need to do everything we can to keep our campuses safe. No one should have to walk our streets in fear.”
Snyder talked about Michigan first lady Sue Snyder's work to end sexual assault on college campuses.The Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program awarded $500,000 to community colleges and universities in 2015 and 2016.
Snyder expanded on the issue of sexual assault by bridging into safer overall communities.
"When you see those cows, give them a shout out!" Snyder said of the growth in Michigan's agriculture industry.
In discussing Michigan’s economic growth in his address, Snyder discussed the growth in agriculture.According to a document from the “A Path Toward Our Future Campaign” created by the Michigan state government, the creation of nearly half a million private-sector jobs in the past six years and five consecutive years of population increases are signs Michigan’s economy is strong.
Michigan is fifth in the U.S. in number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Snyder said.
"We're at risk at every corner in Michigan. We need to invest more.”
Snyder said billions of dollars should be invested in Michigan’s infrastructure in the next few years.According to a press release from Michigan’s Executive Office, the state’s infrastructure has suffered over time because of underinvestment, which is evident in the Flint water crisis and the sewer line collapse in Fraser.
Big money could be saved by taking on big infrastructure projects at one time, Snyder said.
“We’re making progress, but our work is not done yet.”
Around the 30 minute mark in Snyder’s State of the State address, the Flint water crisis was brought up.According to a press release from Michigan’s Executive Office, Snyder will continue to pursue reforms with Legislature to help ensure such an issue will never happen again in a Michigan community.
Snyder expressed his interest in holding higher standards in water quality than the federal level for drinking water.
“Michigan, like many other states, is combatting a drug epidemic that is having dire consequences on its population.”-“A Path Toward Our Future Campaign” statement
Since 2009, the number of opioid cases in Michigan has doubled, Snyder said.Snyder mentioned the bipartisan “Good Samaritan” legislation, which was signed to allow Michiganians of all ages to seek medical assistance for themselves or others without fear of prosecution in the case of a potential drug overdose.In addition, new laws make drugs that combat opioid overdoses available without a prescription, and allow schools to have and administer opioid antagonists, the document said.
"This is an area we cannot afford to slow down in. This isn't just about vehicles.”
Michigan is the world leader in mobility, Snyder said.According to a press release from Michigan’s Executive Office, Michigan manufacturers will be able to offer driverless vehicles for sale once the technology has been tested and certified as a result of legislation signed in December 2016.
Also according to the press release, The American Center for Mobility will be America’s leading non-profit testing and product development facility for these new driverless technologies. Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2017.
“Funding for K-12 education is now at its highest level in state history.”
Snyder did not mention higher education funding or student debt for the second year in a row. Snyder recognized East Lansing High School students who advocated at their high school for women to join STEM programs.Snyder said there needs to be more of a push for computer science, computer education and cyber security education in Michigan schools.
“We need to grow Michigan. We need to grow our population.”
Michigan has experienced five straight years of population growth, Snyder said.Snyder called for an increase in Michigan’s population to 10 million people, which would raise the overall population by roughly 70,000 people.According to a press release from Michigan’s Executive Office, to increase the state’s population and grow the economy, mobility, education, infrastructure and growing communities need to be priorities.
"Michigan today is transformed from the Michigan of six years ago. To be honest we weren't very hopeful about our future and we suffered from a lot of negative perception."
The unemployment rate is now the lowest it has been in 15 years, Snyder said.The pressing question from 2009 and 2010 was where the jobs in Michigan were, now the question is how to get training for these jobs, Snyder said.Snyder said he wants young people to stay in the state to seek career opportunities, he said.
“The Department of Natural Resources is creating a public-private partnership opportunity to perform wetland mitigation banking on state-owned land. This will help make needed drainage improvements to our sewers and ecosystem upgrades for our wildlife.” -“A Path Toward Our Future” statement
Snyder brought up the dedication of the Michigan legislature on environmental legislation, stating in one case an all-nighter was pulled for the work.Michigan needs to be focused on being cleaner, safer and utilizing more sustainable energy, Snyder said.
“We need to do everything we can to keep our campuses safe. No one should have to walk our streets in fear.”
Snyder talked about Michigan first lady Sue Snyder's work to end sexual assault on college campuses.The Campus Sexual Assault Grant Program awarded $500,000 to community colleges and universities in 2015 and 2016.
Snyder expanded on the issue of sexual assault by bridging into safer overall communities.
Infrastructure
"When you see those cows, give them a shout out!" Snyder said of the growth in Michigan's agriculture industry.
In discussing Michigan’s economic growth in his address, Snyder discussed the growth in agriculture.According to a document from the “A Path Toward Our Future Campaign” created by the Michigan state government, the creation of nearly half a million private-sector jobs in the past six years and five consecutive years of population increases are signs Michigan’s economy is strong.
Michigan is fifth in the U.S. in number of breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Snyder said.
