Lansing Update:
Millions More for Catholic Schools, Agencies
Posted July 24, 2026
Budget Signed Into Law, Finalizing Significant Gains for Catholic Schools & Agencies
Governor Whitmer this week signed into law the state budget for next year, finalizing millions more in continued or increased support of Catholic and nonpublic schools, as well as for agencies that serve poor and vulnerable families and children in this state.
In a statement shared with Catholic contacts in Michigan and elsewhere, MCC noted the advocacy efforts that helped secure the funding, including MCC staff meeting frequently with key Republican and Democratic lawmakers and staff in both chambers over the course of several months, as well as MCC’s role in helping to arrange meetings between lawmakers and nonpublic school leaders earlier this year.
MCC this week also released videos featuring a nonpublic school leader and student, who shared the positive impact of continued state support of nonpublic schools, as well as gratitude to public officials for continuing the support in the new budget
“Regardless if you’re in a public school or nonpublic school, our most prized possession is our children, and we want them to be safe, we want them to feel secure, and we want them to feel loved,” said Mandy Wildern, associate superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Lansing, in a video produced by MCC. “These funds allow us to create a safe and secure environment for our students.”
Xavier Evoy, a recent graduate of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, thanked the Governor and lawmakers for their continued support of nonpublic students.
“The students that attend those schools, these are students and citizens of Michigan, most importantly. Thank you for being concerned and uplifting the future of the Great Lakes state,” he said in the video.
MCC also noted continued state support in the budget for programs that support Catholic Charities agencies. State funding for these programs help Catholic organizations fulfill their mission to care for the poor and vulnerable in our state.
MCC commended lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle for continuing in the next state budget:
A program that provides diapers free-of-charge to families in need.
Maintaining the current level of state-provided support for agencies that care for foster children.
Funding for agencies that serve homeless and runaway youth, including a Catholic entity that provides assistance to youth in crisis in southwest Michigan.
In its public policy advocacy on behalf of the Church, MCC works to secure funding in the state budget to support the Church’s ministries that serve Michigan families and children in need. The new edition of Focus shares specific examples of how state funding secured by MCC helped programs that assist families in need of diapers, parents seeking to adopt and foster children, and homeless and runaway youth in crisis.
Bipartisan Bills That Encourage More Affordable Housing Become Law
Legislation to encourage developers to build more affordably priced housing in Michigan was signed into law by the Governor this week after receiving MCC support.
The bipartisan package would establish a state-level, low-income housing tax credit program to complement the existing federal low-income housing tax credit. The goal of the state credit would be to further incentivize developers to build housing specifically available for low-income individuals.
The Church’s social tradition has recognized housing as among those basic needs that all individuals should have access to. Increasing that access—particularly for lower-income individuals who may struggle to afford market rates—is one of MCC’s advocacy priorities related to the Catholic social principle of promoting a preferential option for the poor.
The bills signed into law were House Bill 5806, House Bill 5807, and Senate Bill 966. Each bill received support from members of both parties in votes taken across both legislative chambers. They were sponsored, respectively, by Rep. Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids), Rep. Joseph Aragona (R-Clinton Twp.), and Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor).
Become Equipped to Stop Assisted Suicide by Attending Metro Detroit Event
Medical and legal experts will share the dangerous realities associated with legalized assisted suicide during a public town hall event at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Rochester next month.
The town hall takes place Saturday, August 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Rochester. There is no cost to attend, and RSVPs are encouraged by emailing miethicalcare@gmail.com.
MCC supports efforts such as these to inform the public about assisted suicide and the harms it presents to the most vulnerable, including the sick, the dying, and those with physical and mental disabilities.
Ahead of August Primary, Guide to Faithful Citizenship Available From MCC
Have you ever stepped into the voting booth in November and thought, “I don’t know who these candidates are”?
The statewide primary is August 4, and a little more than a month later—September 24—absentee ballots will be available to vote ahead of the general election on November 3.
Catholics are called to faithful citizenship, which is the prayerful and thoughtful discernment of candidates for office—a process that takes time. To aid Catholics in this process, MCC has published and distributed its elections edition of Focus, titled Form Your Conscience, Vote With Faith. It’s available in print at local parishes and online.
Catholics have a particular call to engage in elections as faithful citizens by forming their consciences and voting with faith. This edition of Focus will unpack what that looks like and encourage Catholics to embrace the call to faithful citizenship in this year’s election in Michigan.
The statewide primary is open to all voters. However, citizens must vote for candidates in either the Republican or Democratic side of the partisan section of the ballot, not both. Votes made in both sections will nullify the ballot. The winners of the parties’ respective primaries will face each other in the November general election.
