Lansing Update: Helping Families, Care for the Poor: More MCC Takeaways on State Budget
Posted October 10, 2025
MCC Highlights Help for Students, Pregnant Women in Budget Signed into Law
Gov. Whitmer this week signed into law the budget the Legislature recently approved, which MCC noted for its support of nonpublic schools and pregnant mothers and babies in a press release.
As reported in Lansing Update last week, the state spending plan makes significant investments in protecting and feeding school children, regardless of where they attend school, and improving the economic stability of pregnant mothers and families with newborns in Michigan.
The $14 million in school safety grants made available to nonpublic schools is an increase over the $1.5 million appropriated last year. Plus, another $3.5 million was allocated for the hiring of school resource officers, as well as $3.5 million for mental health support services.
“For us to fully educate our students, they need to be able to feel comfortable, safe, and loved in our environment, so safety is obviously the first and most important thing that we do,” said Lisa Rhodus, principal of All Saints Elementary School in Bay City. “Providing that safe environment is allowing us to ensure our students are going to make their full growth.”
Rhodus, who shared these remarks in a video produced by MCC demonstrating how nonpublic schools benefited from state safety grants, said her school used state funding to upgrade the exterior doors for several of their campus buildings and to add interior and exterior cameras.
Students in all eligible Michigan schools will also have access to healthy meals regardless of their family’s means under the new budget, as the Legislature authorized $1.6 million to ensure qualifying nonpublic schools could join the state’s expanded breakfast and lunch program.
Since the Legislature first began the expanded meal program, MCC has been advocating for years for the nonpublic students who were initially excluded, which included those who attended schools in higher poverty areas such as Flint, Saginaw, and Jackson.
MCC has worked throughout the budget process, as it does each year, to advocate for the inclusion of nonpublic schools in support services intended to help all students.
The new budget also makes a major investment of $270 million into the Rx Kids program, which provides a $1,500 payment to mothers in need during their pregnancy and $500 monthly for six months to one year after birth.
Rx Kids has provided nearly $16 million in payments to 3,668 enrolled families, according to the program’s website. Nearly 60% of enrolled families report making $20,000 or less in annual household income.
The program, and MCC’s support of it, was recently featured in an article published by the National Catholic Register.
Help for the Homeless and Human Trafficking Victims in State Spending Plan
The newly enacted state budget continues funding critical support programs for families experiencing homelessness, victims of human trafficking, and other initiatives that help the poor and vulnerable individuals of this state.
MCC monitors several spending line items in the budget each year that correspond to the Church teachings to help the poor. The spending plan for this fiscal year contains $8.5 million to support family shelters and emergency housing and continues the $19 per diem rate paid to homeless and emergency shelters.
Lawmakers maintain several existing programs to assist human trafficking victims, including funds to provide an additional three months of food assistance, $200,000 in intervention services, and $50,000 for caseworkers to provide immediate assistance to children who are removed from dangerous environments.
The new budget also maintains $10 million to provide back-to-school clothing for needy children, as well as the current level of young child supplemental payments for those receiving cash assistance.
It is worth noting that just this week, Pope Leo issued the first major document of his pontificate, an apostolic exhortation titled Dilexi Te, that is focused on love for the poor and calling Christians to prioritize care for the poor. The full text can be found here, and the National Catholic Register has published a summary here.
Car Seats for Newborns Among Budget Items Benefiting Families
Funding to continue providing free newborn car seats for families in need will continue in the newly enacted budget, among several continued spending provisions that provide resources to help families and children.
The budget the Legislature approved also maintained the MCC-supported diaper assistance grant program at $6.4 million, which provides funding for diapering supplies to be made available for diaper assistance programs, maternity homes, local county offices, and other nonprofit agencies that distribute diapers free of charge.
The Legislature also maintained the current foster care administrative rate paid out to agencies that provide foster care services—including Catholic Charities agencies—at $60.20. Subsidies to help families adopt will increase by $1.1 million in the budget.
On a related note, a $10 million proposal to provide “reproductive health access grants” did not make the final budget after it was initially proposed by the Senate.