Governor Rick Snyder unveils his 2013 proposed budget Thursday.
The governor's budget proposal for 2013 is $48.2-billion. That's $1.5-billion more than last year.
This time, he says it's time to spend more.
Speaking to a standing-room-only joint session of the Michigan House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Governor Rick Snyder highlighted his plan to help fill the 76,000 open jobs in Michigan.
It's a move that would reduce the state's unemployment rate by two percentage points.
"We need to create an environment where 100% of our kids are college and career ready and we're helping connect them, not just leave them on their own," says Snyder.
He proposed increasing higher education and community college funding by 3%, K-12 education by 2.5%, but the increases will be given only to those schools who meet performance criteria.
"They give us a chance to enhance what works, rethink what isn't working, and discard what won't work," says Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw Twp.), who's the chair for the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Snyder wants to spend an additional $55-million on Michigan State Police.
Flint's Representative Jim Ananich (D-Flint) says public safety is his highest priority. "I think a substantial investment in police in the state is extremely important. I'll continue to push for that. His message was a good start, but I'm going to push for more," says Ananich.
Last year, legislators approved the budget in the summer time, well before the September 30th deadline. This year, they say there is a lot more at stake and more to prioritize, and they're not looking to break any records.
