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Whitmer: SOTS proposals will 'help people keep money in their pockets'

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks to UAW members at Local 51 in Detroit on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Photo: Rick Pluta/MPRN)
Rick Pluta
/
MPRN
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks to UAW members at Local 51 in Detroit on Wednesday. (Photo: Rick Pluta/MPRN)

The governor is set to give her annual State of the State address at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 24.

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IPR News Radio will broadcast the State of the State address at 7 p.m. on Jan. 24. Here's how to listen.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offered a few hints Wednesday, but no details, of plans she will outline next week in her State of the State address.

The Democratic governor stopped by a UAW local in Detroit to talk up the successes Democrats enjoyed over the last year as control of the Legislature ended their decades-long power drought in Lansing.

Whitmer cited ending the state tax on pension income, boosting the state earned income tax credit, and signing a budget that included universal school lunches from pre-kindergarten through high school.

Whitmer said people should expect a focus on pocketbook issues in 2024.

“We’re going to continue to propose policies that put money back in people’s pockets,” she said. “Throughout the State of the State you’ll hear a little bit about that and, of course, in the budget presentation a couple weeks later.”

A state panel predicts a slight bump in revenue coming into the state this year.

Whitmer reiterated afterward that a reduction in the state income tax is not part of her plans. Neither is seeking to switch Michigan from a flat-rate income tax to a graduated tax. But she also noted she supports a graduated income tax.

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.