Governor Rick Snyder introduces his 2012-13 budget proposal

LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) - Governor Rick Snyder presented his 2012-13 budget proposal to lawmakers at the Capitol in Lansing.

Governor Snyder unveiled his $48 billion dollar budget plan for the state that he says continues the reforms that he put into effect last year.

He says the state has come a long way but needs to go much further.

His $48.2 billion budget calls for an additional $50 million for police protection for cities that are in distress like Detroit and Flint.

Governor Snyder also announced that they have reached a tentative agreement with the Michigan State Police.

Under his plan, 75 percent of the budget would go to education or human services.

He is recommending increasing the budget for K-12 education by $200 million as long as the schools adopt best practices.

Snyder says we have 76-thousand jobs open in the state and says he wants to improve education so that people are qualified for the advanced technical jobs that are open.

He says the situation has stabilized in Michigan, and that we are no longer seeing so many workers leave the state.  

“When we reach a balance, we’ll see people coming back,” the governor said.

Tonight, Snyder will hold a Facebook town hall at 6:30 p.m.

You can submit your questions in advance at www.michigan.gov/ townhall . You can also post questions on Snyder's Facebook page at  @OneToughNerd.