News Release: Final State Budget Reflects Priorities—and People—Michigan Policymakers are Willing to Support

(Lansing, Mich.)—The state budget is not merely a document of numbers and dollar signs but rather a series of decisions that impact the lives of all residents, especially the poor and those in need to the most vulnerable residents of the state, Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) said today in response to Governor Whitmer signing into law the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 departmental spending plan.

MCC believes that the state budget is a moral statement, one that indicates the priorities state officials are willing to support with public tax dollars. Inspired by Christ’s teaching to care for ‘the least of these,’ the organization believes that taking care of the poor and vulnerable is and should remain among the top public spending priorities.

“With the completion of the budget, MCC is encouraged that critical programs that provide for pregnant mothers in need, families experiencing homelessness, and foster children were preserved or increased,” said Tom Hickson, MCC Vice President for Public Policy and Advocacy.

Based on final spending levels for the coming fiscal year signed into law today, MCC is pleased that:

• More parents in need will benefit from free diapers for their children due to an expansion of the state’s diaper assistance program to $6.4 million. The spending provides diapers to maternity homes, local county offices, and other nonprofit agencies that distribute diapers free of charge.
• Low-income families will be able to access newborn car seats through $500,000 in new funding.
• Homeless shelters and other facilities that provide a safe haven and assistance for families experiencing or are at risk of homelessness would receive an increase in state support with $8.5 million.
• Services provided to foster care children will be bolstered by an increase in the daily per-child rate paid to foster care providers from $55.20 to $60.20.

“From pregnant mothers trying to make ends meet to those struggling to stay in their homes and afford their bills, the need to care for families in need remains ever-present,” said Rebecca Mastee, MCC Policy Advocate. “Many of these spending items do not capture headlines, yet they are some of the more impactful and consequential decisions made by lawmakers in their work on the state budget.”

Lawmakers also increased funding to the Prenatal and Infant Support Program that provides direct cash assistance to pregnant mothers to help ensure their economic stability and to improve infant and maternal health and wellbeing. The program, formerly known as Rx Kids, was originally established to provide all pregnant mothers in the city of Flint with $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 each month throughout a baby’s first year. A state appropriation increase from $16.5 million to $20 million will expand support to more mothers in Flint and may extend the program to additional cities across Michigan in future years.

The $59 billion-plus spending plan for state departments in the 2024-25 fiscal year will take effect October 1. MCC previously expressed its concerns about reduced and a lack of funding to nonpublic schools in the state education budget, which was signed into law on July 23.

Michigan Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the Catholic Church in this state.

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