Rep. Calley backs budget plan to support local law enforcement, mental health, seniors

State Rep. Julie Calley of Portland joined the Michigan House this week in approving a spending plan to provide support for local law enforcement, mental health services and other vital programs Michiganders rely on every day.

“The last year has been incredibly tough on everyone in Michigan, but we’re finally starting to turn a corner,” Calley said. “As we transition from the pandemic, we must lay a good foundation that helps Michiganders who are still struggling and sets our communities up for brighter days ahead.”

Highlights of the plan include:

• Mental health services – $215 million to address the shortage of psychiatric services across the state, $10 million to support police, corrections officers, firefighters, and other first responders battling post-traumatic stress disorders or other mental health challenges.

• Rural broadband – $150 million for broadband expansion grants to cover costs associated with expanding broadband internet service to unserved areas of Michigan.

• Local infrastructure – $300 million to help repair and replace local roads and bridges, $250 million in grants for local water and sewer replacement projects.

• Support for local law enforcement – $2.7 million for rural or “secondary” road patrols, $30 million for tuition assistance and stipends for recruits attending police academies, $5 million to reimburse county jails for housing offenders who otherwise would have been transferred to state prisons.

• Relief for families – $3.5 million for congregate and home-delivered meal programs, $6.55 million to establish 14 integrated behavioral and physical health clinics through a federal CMS demonstration program.

Additionally, Calley successfully fought to include $500,000 to facilitate safety protocols for autistic and disabled individuals at risk of wandering and getting lost. This could include equipping at-risk individuals with GPS tracking devices, providing state matching funds for law enforcement agencies to acquire high-end search and rescue drones, marketing and outreach, creating safety plans, and registering vulnerable and impaired individuals.

House Bill 4420 now advances to the Senate for further consideration.