Governor Rick Snyder began his State of the State speech with an apology to the people of Flint and a promise to fix the problems associated with the water crisis.
WATCH THE SECOND VIDEO ABOVE TO SEE THE GOVERNOR'S ENTIRE SPEECH
The governor then went through a timeline of events related to the water crisis and promised to release all of his emails regarding Flint from 2014 to 2015.
Snyder also promised to work with the National Guard to make sure every home in Flint is visited and that they all have clean water.
"We will not stop working for the people of Flint until every single person has clean water every single day, no matter what," Snyder said in his speech.
Snyder said the government will be there for the long haul, helping with future problems that may arise due to lead poisoning.
Snyder also called on anyone who wants to help Flint to go to the HelpForFlint.com website.
Snyder then went on to talk about the state’s infrastructure problems, saying “Flint is not alone.”
The governor highlighted the road’s deal as an example of successfully working together to solve the infrastructure problems. He also referenced problems with the water systems and natural gas transmission lines.
A new commission announced by Snyder will examine the state’s infrastructure and create a plan to fix it. He says he wants their report on the problems and how to pay for the fixes by September.
Snyder then moved on to talk about the financial problems in Detroit Public Schools, saying we should reference the success the city of Detroit had coming out of bankruptcy.
Snyder says Detroit schools are in need of a “transformational change.”
He also said, by this summer, the district will be $515 million in debt.
The governor is calling for legislative action on the situation.
“Let’s address this decades long crisis now,” Snyder said.
Snyder then moved on to discuss the state’s overall economic future, citing the successes of his administration. However, he said it was important to remember the state’s recovery has not reached everyone in Michigan.
Among the economic successes, the governor cited the auto industry, which recently announced record sales. However, Snyder said if we repeat the mistakes of the past, Michigan could lose the auto industry.
The governor is calling for investments into the auto industry, including the realm of connected vehicles. Tuesday night, he proposed the creation of the American Center for Mobility, a facility of the testing of intelligent vehicles at Willow Run.
Snyder says, “we need a place like this to make sure we maintain our leadership for the long term future.”
Snyder ended his speech by saying we face serious, but solvable problems, and asked if the state would come together to solve them, or descend into politics that would prevent the solutions from being found.
He then asked for the commitment of all Michiganders to come together and also to hold him accountable for results. He said he is committing the next three years of his administration to helping the people for Flint heal from the wounds of the water crisis.
