Brad Paquette, R, represents the 78th District, which covers Berrien county. 

Last week in the Michigan House of Representatives, we passed our proposed budgets for the state. There is still a lot of process left — the House and Senate need to agree and from there, the legislature will still need to negotiate with the governor. Under the state Constitution, Michigan is required to pass a balanced budget by the start of our fiscal year (Oct. 1).

I want to take the time to highlight a few keys areas in the various department budgets that were passed. One key area of investment is education. The plan passed by the House would raise the state’s minimum per-pupil foundation allowance by $180 per student, which is the same amount recommended by the governor and includes the vast majority of school districts in Berrien and Cass counties. The proposed budget also makes key investments in literacy education and opportunities that prepares students for the real world, like Career and Technical Education and Early-Middle College.

One area of the budget that generates a lot of questions is roads. The House budget would ensure that taxes paid at the gas pump go to improve our roads and don’t get diverted to other areas. This change would add more than $800-million additional dollars per year to road repairs — without raising taxes — once fully phased-in. This would be done without harming other priorities like money for schools, local government revenue sharing or other essential public services. The budget also puts more money towards actual road projects by cutting administrative overhead within the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Mental health is a critical issue and being able to connect people to mental health services can make a big difference in their lives and for the state. One decision that will help families is that the House budget continues to fund the Autism Navigator program, which the governor wanted to cut. This program helps connect families to doctors and support services in their area. Currently, local Community Mental Health Centers like Riverwood and Woodlands have to contribute local funds to help bring federal Medicaid dollars to the state, under the House budget, CMH Centers can keep their local money in their local communities and the state will take over responsibility for Medicaid.

Respecting taxpayers through government efficiencies is key in this budget. The House has identified several programs that do not spend as much money as they were appropriated so rather than wasting money where it isn’t needed, their budgets will be cut. We have also tried to address growing bureaucracy and red tape by asking many state department to find 3 percent savings in their administrative budgets.

As I stated earlier, there is a lot of the legislative process left before the governor signs the final budget, but I wanted to give you on update on where things stand for now.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if you need assistance dealing with red tape at the state level. My staff and I are happy to help in any way we can, and if you ever have ideas about how we can work to make Michigan better, my door is always open.