“We must work together. Because, as I have said before, Michigan’s problems are not partisan problems. Potholes are not political,” she said. “There is no such thing as Republican or Democratic schoolkids or drinking water. Our challenges affect us all, and they will require us all, working together, to solve.”

It was also a night for Whitmer to reflect on the historic nature of the 2018 elections for women in Michigan.

“For the first time in Michigan’s history the Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and Chief Justice are all women,” Whitmer said, “not to overlook our U.S. Senator and a record five members of our U.S. House delegation.”

During her speech, Whitmer discussed her plans to make community college debt free, lower the price of public universities, and — of course — to “fix the damn roads.”

“Last year, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Michigan infrastructure an overall grade of D-plus,” Whitmer said. “Our roads fared even worse — a D-minus — with just 18 percent of Michigan roads in good condition. Another recent study found that Michigan has the worst roads in the country. The worst.”

Michigan’s already poor roads will worsen over the next 10 years if serious action isn’t taken, she said. 

“Solving this crisis will not be easy. We didn’t get here overnight," she said. "This is a challenge 30 years in the making, the result of under-investment across multiple administrations. We need to act now before the situation is truly unrecoverable.”

She urged residents to document Michigan’s infrastructure problems and tweet them out with the hashtag “FTDR.”

One portion of the speech, the governor's three education proposals, drew particular praise from those in the House chambers.

The first, titled "Michigan: Reconnect," would train adults who need assistance moving up in their field or keeping their current job with in-demand skills.

The second, the MI Opportunity Scholarship, would guarantee two years of debt-free community college to graduating high school students who qualify. 

“The scholarship will be officially launched this spring and available to students in the fall of 2020,” Whitmer said. “It will make Michigan the first Midwestern state to guarantee community college for all.” 

The third, also under the MI Opportunity Scholarship banner, is for graduating high school students pursuing a four-year degree. It will give two years of tuition assistance to students at public universities who graduate with a B-average. 

Whitmer did not specify if the scholarship would be need-based.

She also recapped her first month in office, focusing particularly on her executive order to restructure the Department of Environmental Quality and executive directives to protect LGBTQ state employees and join the U.S. Climate Alliance.

“I’m really excited to hear some of the concrete plans around the scholarships and around community college for all," state Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Ecorse, said following the address. "I think that’s really an area where we’ve needed to do more for a long time.”

State Sen. Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, said she appreciated Whitmer’s emphasis on the state’s road problem.

“I’m very optimistic about what the governor has mentioned by way of making sure that we fix the roads. That is priority number one in the state,” Santana said. “The fact that she has made it personal for the constituency around how much you’re spending on average — $500 per vehicle — that’s a hefty cost for a lot of families.”

State Rep. Brandt Iden, R-Oshtemo Township, was open to Whitmer’s calls for bipartisanship.

“The state of Michigan is not Washington D.C.," Iden said. "We can get things done, we can work together, and that is going to be our goal.”