Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Prepares for Seventh State of the State Address with Key Policy Focus

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has spent the past six years laying out her vision for Michigan in her State of the State address. Now, as she prepares to deliver her seventh tonight, the focus sharpens on what direction the state will take next with a focus on speeding up Michigan’s permitting process, confronting the gender gap in higher education, cracking down on cellphone use in schools, and pushing for a tax increase on vaping products. While the specifics of her plans remain to be seen, the broader message is clear: policy shifts are on the horizon. The permitting initiative is a continuation of Whitmer’s August 2023 directive aimed at making Michigan’s permitting process more efficient and transparent. Each state department or agency that handles permits was given 90 days to report back on the specifics of their permitting structure. Whitmer’s office was then tasked with setting processing time recommendations for each permit type while ensuring that application fees would be fully waived or refunded when legally possible. “The governor is expected to instruct state departments and agencies to refund any permitting fees that we can and will call for changes to state law to speed up permitting, saving people time and...