State Rep. Joseph Pavlov last week helped pass a new state budget that has now been signed into law. Pavlov highlighted key changes in the plan, including nearly $2 billion in new annual funding for local road and bridge repairs and record-high funding for local schools. All of that was achieved even with smaller overall state spending, due to reforms that eliminated waste, fraud and abuse across government.

“This budget made government in Lansing tighten its belt so we could provide more for our top priorities here in our community,” said Pavlov. “We cut unnecessary programs and eliminated thousands of funded but unfilled positions in empty buildings so we could help our kids and fix our broken roads. Those are the things government should actually be working on.”

The new budget implements several new reforms and makes significant investments, including the following:

• Reducing the overall size of state government:

Pavlov and his colleagues found about a billion in ongoing permanent cuts to state departments, finding efficiencies and wasteful programs where the funding could be better used on roads and schools.

• Investing nearly $2 billion more in ongoing road funding:

Starting this year, the state budget will put nearly $2 billion more toward roads, with most of the funding dedicated to local community roads for the first time. These dollars will pave the way for continued improvements to Michigan’s infrastructure and will focus on local roads and bridges instead of just state highways. The agreement also ensures that every cent in taxes people pay at the pump is used to fix the roads.

• Restoring funding for school safety and mental health:

After recent cuts to critical school safety and mental health programs last year, Pavlov and others fought to ensure this funding was in the final budget. Now $321million is back in place to protect Michigan kids in the classroom.

• Investing $26 million at Selfridge Air National Guard Base:

The budget includes $26 million for Selfridge Air National Guard Base to continue critical infrastructure upgrades and replace the runway. This expansion will ensure the base is ready for the new fighter jet mission secured by President Trump. House Republicans partnered with President Trump to secure this new mission and are making sure the fighter jets have a permanent home in the region.

“I listened to what people in our area cared about, and then I made sure we took care of those things first,” Pavlov said. “That’s how you get a budget that delivers better value for your tax dollars and that makes life better for the people who live here. We showed government can live within its means and still solve problems, if the leaders in Lansing can choose real priorities and make tough decisions. I’m glad the plan we came up with reflects that.”

The budget plan passed the state House on Friday, October 3 and was signed into law on Tuesday, October 7.