State Rep. Joe Fox today celebrated passage of the new state budget, highlighting key reforms that cut government waste, reduce the size of bureaucracy, and deliver better value for Michigan taxpayers.

Fox, R-Fremont, said the plan represents a major win for accountability and common sense in Lansing.

“This budget reins in wasteful spending and puts the focus back where it belongs — on the people of Michigan,” Fox said. “We’re cutting bureaucracy, getting rid of ghost employees, and making sure taxpayer dollars go toward services that actually help families and communities.”

The new budget implements several new reforms and makes significant investments, including the following:

• Eliminating 2,000 government ghost employees. These are full-time positions claimed by departments that are never filled. The departments then build slush funds with money they receive that comes out of the pockets of taxpayers.

• Reducing the overall size of state government. Fox secured about a billion in ongoing permanent cuts to state departments, finding efficiencies and wasteful programs where the funding could be better used on roads and schools.
• Ending wasteful spending on empty state office buildings. Taxpayers are currently paying for the state to lease empty office buildings all across the state while employees work remotely. Fox voted for a plan that requires stronger oversight of employees and sheds many of the unnecessary and expensive leases.
• Making historic investments in rural health care. The plan includes $250 million in grants for rural hospitals to stay open and invest in healthcare access for rural communities.
• Requiring an independent audit of the Secretary of State’s procedures. The Secretary of State’s controversial directives have been long-criticized and repeatedly challenged in court. Now, the office is actively fighting a subpoena for information. The procedures require a thorough review.

“This budget is about the priorities of the people I represent and the community we call home,” Fox said. “We’re protecting taxpayers, supporting rural healthcare, and demanding accountability from every corner of state government. That’s what people sent me to Lansing to fight for, and that’s what the people of Michigan deserve.”

The budget plan passed the state House on Friday, October 3 and was signed into law on Tuesday, October 7.