Dear Neighbors,

Welcome to this month’s edition of my e-newsletter. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to tackle the tough issues that will help lower the cost of living, build stronger families and communities, and create a brighter future for all who call Michigan home.

As always, I welcome your feedback on current issues facing Michigan or the Greater Rochester Area, Troy, Sterling Heights, and Utica communities. Your feedback is vital as I represent our communities in Lansing. If you are experiencing a problem with one of our state government agencies, my office is always available to assist with finding a solution. I respect your opinion and will always do my best to make myself available and accessible to you.

Please take a moment to visit my website, like my official Facebook page, send me an email or call my office at 517-373-0994. If you have any questions, concerns or opinions on what is happening, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Michael Webber
State Senator
9th District

The Democratic-controlled Senate has passed a series of initial 2026 state budget bills that would grow government while ignoring the issues that matter most to Michigan residents. This budget proposal would raise taxes and fail to fix the roads or address plummeting student test scores.

The Senate-approved plan is the first step in the full budget-making process. Both the House and the Senate must approve a full plan before it is sent to the governor for her signature. As it currently stands, the Senate Democrats’ plan is more than $500 million over budget.

The budget plan was passed a couple of days before the state Treasury Department and both House and Senate fiscal agencies met with economists at the Michigan Capitol for the Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference (CREC) on May 16 to determine the state’s revenue projections.

They found that Michigan’s revenue forecast has decreased by $363 million since the conference last met in January. Meanwhile, the School Aid Fund has a forecast revenue of $18.5 billion, a slight increase from January estimates.

This is important information for the Legislature and governor as we head into budget negotiations. In a divided government, we must work in a collaborative, bipartisan fashion to complete a budget that funds our immediate priorities. Our work is far from complete with our next fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

I called for this audit, which began in April 2024, based on serious concerns over patient care and a disturbing lack of transparency from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), which runs our state psychiatric hospitals. The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) review was originally intended to be completed in June, but this has now been pushed back to August.

The audit is a review of the Office of Recipient Rights (ORR) at state-run mental health care facilities, including the Hawthorn Center and Walter P. Reuther Psychiatric Hospital. The Hawthorn Center was the only state-run psychiatric hospital for minors before it was torn down last year. Its patients have been transferred to the Walter Reuther Psychiatric Hospital, an adult facility, while the Hawthorn Center is being rebuilt. The ORR is intended to protect the rights of public mental health patients under the state’s care.

The deeper I have investigated the issues at our state-run hospitals, the worse it gets — patient escapes, an unannounced active shooter drill, violent attacks, settled lawsuits, serious concerns over nutritional support and recipient rights complaints going unanswered. I look forward to reviewing the results of the OAG audit and continuing to work to improve care for our mental health patients.

I recently welcomed retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Andrew “Rocky” Raczkowski — former state representative and regular guest host for WJR-AM — to the state Capitol as my special guest for the Senate’s annual Memorial Day ceremony to honor Michigan’s fallen service members.

The bipartisan legislative Michigan Aerospace and Defense Caucus has worked tirelessly behind the scenes over the past two and a half years to achieve this outcome. I want to thank President Donald Trump, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, our congressional delegation and our men and women in uniform for working together to get this new fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. It is a win for the people of Michigan and our national security.

Selfridge, which marks its 108th anniversary this year, supports an estimated 5,000 jobs and $800 million in annual economic impact for the state. The 21 new aircraft are expected to begin arriving at the base in fiscal year 2028 to complement the KC-46 squadron the Air Force announced last year and replace the A-10s that will be retired starting in 2026.

Earlier this month, students participating in the Troy Career Accelerator Program (CAP) visited the state Capitol to learn about government. CAP is a pre-internship program open to high school juniors and seniors and helps to bridge the gap between education and the professional world through mentorship opportunities and exposure to various career paths.

I spent time speaking with the students, shared insights on a life of public service and was able to give them a personal tour of the Senate floor.

No appointment is necessary to attend. The 9th Senate District includes the cities of Rochester, Rochester Hills, Troy, and Utica, along with parts of Oakland Township, Shelby Township and Sterling Heights.