Lawmakers react to Michigan Gov. Whitmer's State of the State address
(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her sixth State of the State address in Lansing on Wednesday.
"Hold onto your wallet, and free is not free," said state Rep. Donni Steel (R-District 54) in reaction Wednesday night to the plans Whitmer outlined in her 40-minute speech.
"I think Gov. Whitmer has a bold vision for the future of Michigan and I'm really grateful for our partnership as we work to get this done," said state Rep. Natalie Price (D-Berkley) of Whitmer's plans.
Whitmer outlined plans to invest more than a billion dollars to increase and renovate housing across the state and announced plans to make community college tuition free.
You can watch the full State of the State address below:
Republican lawmakers tell CBS News Detroit they are very concerned about the cost of her goals.
"I don't think you could do any of those proposals without raising a tax and that was not discussed," said state Rep. Andrew Beeler. "What's frustrated me is that we've identified issues. For goodness sake, she started her own population council to identify issues and figure out why the state isn't growing. What is her answers to those?"
But Democratic lawmakers applauded Whitmer's plans for Michigan-- including plans she announced that would provide a tax credit for caregivers in the state.
"I really appreciated her conversation with regards to caregivers and those who care for our most vulnerable," said state Rep. Matt Koleszar. "You really can judge a society by how well they treat their most vulnerable. Helping those who help, especially our elderly population is so important."
Whitmer also discussed moving up the timeline to get every Michigan four-year-old access to Pre-K by two years. That original goal is one she outlined in a previous State of the State address.
"I think many of us feel that the priorities are mixed up," said state Sen. Ruth Johnson.
"It's all really good solid plans," said state Rep. Julie Brixie.
