State Representative Brad Paquette was among the supporters of the new Michigan state budget, approved by lawmakers and signed by Governor Grethen Whitmer in recent weeks. Paquette tells us he voted for the $84 billion spending plan partly because of the process that went into drafting it. The new budget doesn’t make many headline grabbing changes to the previous year’s budget, but Paquette says he appreciates some of the education-related priorities it includes. Paquette says lawmakers found themselves with about $2 billion more to account for than expected, and he’s pleased they directed that money to education. He says he’s not the sort of lawmaker who will vote no on something just because it has a few flaws, and overall, he’s pleased the budget pumped the brakes on earmarks and prevented any tax increases.