The achievements we made in 2016 will continue moving Michigan forward on the road to recovery.
We continued to cultivate a positive environment for job creation and long-term growth. As a result, Michigan has added more than 475,000 private sector jobs in six years and our state unemployment rate has been cut by 57 percent.
For the sixth consecutive year, we passed a fiscally responsible budget that improves government efficiency, pays down debt, protects our communities and helps prepare all students for success.
Education is key to every child’s future, and I am proud that we continued building on our commitment to education — increasing support to schools by more than $260 million and paying down more than $1 billion in retirement costs, which will help put additional dollars into the classroom. Roughly 46 cents of every state tax dollar now goes toward public education, and Michigan is spending more this year on K-12 education than ever in state history — breaking last year’s record.
To better ensure that our children receive an education that meets their needs, we enhanced support for career and technical education and passed reforms to make sure that every third grade student is proficient at reading.
In 2016, we put more funding into assisting homeless veterans and created a new ombudsman to ensure veterans receive the care they earned. We also added funding to hire 65 new state police troopers and expanded the Secure Cities program to safeguard our communities; increased penalties for assaulting pregnant women; ended the terrible practice of selling fetal remains for profit; and helped increase enjoyment of Michigan’s great outdoors by enhancing access to state parks and boat launches.
We have accomplished much in the past six years to re-energize Michigan, yet we have much to do to build upon that success and sustain it for future generations.
I renew my commitment to you to continue working hard to build a stronger Michigan by making our government more efficient and effective, supporting education for every student and improving our state’s infrastructure.

Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, represents Southwest Michigan.