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Podcast 83 Legislative Update July 1, 2025
Host: Deena Bosworth
Guests: State Rep. Matthew Bierlein (R-Tuscola), Samantha Gibson and Jimmy Johnson of MAC
Topics: The House Republican majority in Michigan is taking a “deliberate” approach to its work on the state budget, which “has ballooned so much over the last six years,” said Rep. Matthew Bierlein in the newest episode of Podcast 83.
Bierlein, a Tuscola County Republican and former county commissioner and MAC Board president, spoke with guest host Deena Bosworth and the rest of the MAC team about fiscal 2026 budget dealings and hearings Bierlein has led on the need for action on psychiatric beds in Michigan.
“There has to be room to decrease some of (the budget spending),” Bierlein said, “whether that's through positions that were approved, and were never filled … or if it's discretionary spending. Whatever it is, there's only a finite number of resources if we want to put money into schools, if we want to put money into roads. The taxpayers of Michigan have been pretty vocal that they think they pay enough in taxes, so we need to find that money from somewhere else. And I think that's, I wouldn't say it's a delay. I think that's the current process and why it's taken the time it has from the House side.”
Bierlein also detailed how the state ended up with a shortage of treatment beds for psychiatric patients.
“We started asking questions, started looking around, doing some research and what became really evident really fast is Michigan really trails the nation in the number of available beds. Michigan has about five psychiatric beds per 100,000 people. The national average is around 30 beds per 100,000 people, and the gold standard is like 50. So, this is a big discrepancy from the state's perspective.
“(The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services) did come in and testify,” he continued “They don't believe we have a bed shortage … they stated that there is not an issue. When we've talked to our private providers, though, that's not the story we're hearing.”
See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606
Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org
View all episodes
By DerekHost: Deena Bosworth
Guests: State Rep. Matthew Bierlein (R-Tuscola), Samantha Gibson and Jimmy Johnson of MAC
Topics: The House Republican majority in Michigan is taking a “deliberate” approach to its work on the state budget, which “has ballooned so much over the last six years,” said Rep. Matthew Bierlein in the newest episode of Podcast 83.
Bierlein, a Tuscola County Republican and former county commissioner and MAC Board president, spoke with guest host Deena Bosworth and the rest of the MAC team about fiscal 2026 budget dealings and hearings Bierlein has led on the need for action on psychiatric beds in Michigan.
“There has to be room to decrease some of (the budget spending),” Bierlein said, “whether that's through positions that were approved, and were never filled … or if it's discretionary spending. Whatever it is, there's only a finite number of resources if we want to put money into schools, if we want to put money into roads. The taxpayers of Michigan have been pretty vocal that they think they pay enough in taxes, so we need to find that money from somewhere else. And I think that's, I wouldn't say it's a delay. I think that's the current process and why it's taken the time it has from the House side.”
Bierlein also detailed how the state ended up with a shortage of treatment beds for psychiatric patients.
“We started asking questions, started looking around, doing some research and what became really evident really fast is Michigan really trails the nation in the number of available beds. Michigan has about five psychiatric beds per 100,000 people. The national average is around 30 beds per 100,000 people, and the gold standard is like 50. So, this is a big discrepancy from the state's perspective.
“(The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services) did come in and testify,” he continued “They don't believe we have a bed shortage … they stated that there is not an issue. When we've talked to our private providers, though, that's not the story we're hearing.”
See video versions of all Podcast 83 episodes on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@michiganassociationofcount2606
Visit the Podcast 83 page at www.micounties.org