Livingston Today

Last week, Governor Whitmer signed the 2025 state budget into law. Representative Bezotte expressed his opposition to the budget, citing concerns over insufficient funding for local roads and a significant reduction in school safety funding by more than 90 percent.

Bezotte highlighted that "Fowlerville Community Schools will lose $529,000 compared to the current budget," and "Howell Public Schools will lose $1.4M." He criticized the inclusion of approximately $400 million in what he described as pork barrel spending, with more than $55 million earmarked for Detroit. According to him, this allocation was characterized by the Detroit Free Press as including "loads of new money for Detroit."

Bezotte argued that tax dollars should prioritize roads and student protection rather than projects like "free public Wi-Fi for the Greektown casino area." He cited these reasons among others for his decision to vote against the budget.

With the budget finalized, Bezotte noted that little legislative activity is expected soon. He mentioned that Democrats controlling the House have scheduled limited session days in July and August, which are rumored to be "no attendance/ no voting" days.

In the interim, Bezotte plans to continue engaging with constituents and advocating for support on a veterans mental health package that recently passed the House. This package still requires Senate approval before it can be presented to Governor Whitmer for her signature in the fall.