ABOUT SEN. SARAH ANTHONY:
Senator Sarah Anthony has always fought for equity and opportunity for all Michiganders, including the most vulnerable among us. Throughout her 20 year career in public service, Sarah has made history multiple times, serving as mid-Michigan’s first African American woman to be elected to the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate. In 2023, she became the first Black woman to chair the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.
As Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, she earned a reputation as a pragmatic, effective legislator, where she passed multiple bills into law with substantial bipartisan, stakeholder, and community support. She fights to strengthen education, expand health care, reform Michigan’s criminal justice system, support workers and uplift small businesses. Under her leadership, she has passed bills addressing college affordability, workforce developments, support for veterans, and housing issues.
Before serving in the Capitol, Anthony was the youngest Black woman to serve on a County Commission in the United States. During her time as a commissioner, Anthony served in many leadership positions, including serving as Chair and Vice Chair of the board. She was a fearless leader for health care access, social justice, services for senior citizens and working families. In 2010, Anthony began a near decade tenure as the Deputy & Interim Executive Director with the Michigan College Access Network. There, she worked with school districts, community foundations, business leaders and nonprofit organizations to provide funding and support for students. Her experience built her unique understanding of the barriers to higher education and economic opportunity facing Michiganders today, as well as the compounding effect on the skills gap facing Michigan employers. As state Representative, Anthony has partnered with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle and the Governor’s administration to make real headway on the talent pipeline and pathway to economic success.
For her work in the Capitol, she has been recognized nationally in such publications as the New York Times, Essence, The New Yorker, and Politico. She has been named “Legislator of the Year” from business, nonprofit, education and social justice groups.
Senator Anthony was born and raised in Lansing’s south side. She has a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and earned a master’s degree from Western Michigan University.
ABOUT REBEKAH WARREN:
Rebekah Warren is the host of Issues of the Environment and First Friday Focus on the Environment on WEMU. She is a longtime Michigan environmental and public policy leader and the President and CEO of Adaptive Strategics, LLC, where she focuses on practical solutions to complex challenges at the intersection of communities, government, and the environment.
Rebekah previously served in the Michigan Legislature for 14 years, representing Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and broader Washtenaw County in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the House, she chaired the Great Lakes and Environment Committee and helped lead bipartisan efforts to pass landmark water protection legislation implementing the Great Lakes Compact—widely recognized as one of the most significant freshwater protection laws. In the Senate, she served as Vice Chair and Ranking Member of the Natural Resources, Environment and Great Lakes Committee and worked extensively on issues including water quality, invasive species, renewable energy, land use, and recycling policy.
ABOUT LISA WOZNIAK:
Lisa’s career spans over two decades of environmental and conservation advocacy in the political arena. She is a nationally- recognized expert in non-profit growth and management and a leader in Great Lakes protections. Lisa is a three-time graduate from the University of Michigan, with a bachelor's degree and two ensuing master's degrees in social work and Education.
Lisa serves a co-host and content partner in 89.1 WEMU's '1st Friday Focus on the Environment.'
RESOURCES:
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Michigan State Budget Fiscal Year 2027
TRANSCRIPTION:
Rebekah Warren: This is 89.1 WEMU, and welcome to our First Friday Focus on the Environment. The first Friday of every month, we convene to explore environmental issues vital to the health of our air, land, and water in Michigan. And all of that, of course, plays into the well-being and quality of life we lead in our Great Lakes state. I'm Rebekah Warren, and my co-host for this monthly conversation series is Lisa Wozniak, President and CEO of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. Lisa, today we're talking about something that touches virtually every environmental issue we've discussed on this program: the state budget. And it seems we've got the perfect guest for the conversation.
Lisa Wozniak: Yes, that's right, Rebekah! The budget determines not only what Michigan can invest in, but also whether state agencies have the resources they need to protect our air, land, water, and communities. And to help us understand what made it into this year's budget, and what didn't, and where Michigan goes from here, we've invited someone who was at the very center of those decisions: Senator Sarah Anthony, who serves as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Sarah Anthony, we're so delighted that you're joining us here today!
Sen. Sarah Anthony: Thank you for having me!
Lisa Wozniak: Well, let's start, Senator, with the big picture. This was a difficult and fairly contentious budget process, but, ultimately, lawmakers reached an agreement. And when you look at the final budget, what do you see as the biggest accomplishments, particularly investments that you think will make a tangible difference for the health of Michigan families and communities?
Sen. Sarah Anthony: Yeah. It was absolutely a very difficult process, similar to last year, despite having lots of challenges, particularly challenges created by the federal government. I mean, I would be remiss if I didn't remind listeners that we were facing a over billion-dollar shortfall because of some of the reckless policies at the federal level. And that huge gap that was created by Trump and, honestly, D.C. Republicans related to the One Big, Beautiful Bill created some chaos at the state level. We had to ensure that we were protecting Medicaid and SNAP benefits and also making sure that our state department had the resources they needed to address our challenges. It was very contentious. But despite all of the challenges that we faced, we stood in our values, and we were still able to provide those resources and, honestly, get a bipartisan budget across the finish line. So, this is definitely different than last year, in which our House Republicans held up the budget process well after our constitutional deadline. So, we had a lot of work to do together, but we got it accomplished. And I'm really proud of the work we were able to achieve together.
Rebekah Warren: From an environmental perspective, there were some real wins in this budget: investments in our parks and public lands, funding for things like the Michigan Geological Survey, investments in clean energy and weatherization, and the agreement to modernize Michigan's dam safety laws, among other things. This didn't happen by accident, I know. So, where did you find the most consensus? And what took a little more work to include in the budget?
Sen. Sarah Anthony: Yeah. I mean, I say it all the time is that budgets are a statement of values. It's a moral document. And so, folks can talk about their commitment to ensuring our land or water or air, even our democracy is upheld. But the negotiation table is where those promises are made manifest. And to your point, Rebekah, we were able to do some pretty transformational things. You know, we're the Great Lakes state. And so, where we found some consensus was around our water: $5 million for water affordability grants across the state of Michigan, over $40 million for drinking water and environmental health programs just to safeguard public health. We also invested in weatherization grants to keep utility bills low, and things such as responsible, sustainable infrastructure upgrades, right, so money for transit and rail and, to your earlier comments, $24 million for dam safety and increasing oversight in many of these dams, including privately owned and operated dams. There's so much that we found consensus on related to our water and infrastructure. But there were some contentious moments as well. I mean, the Republicans at the beginning of the year had some pretty foolish things that they wanted to see in our state's budget. And the thing that folks don't talk about it how much we were able to stop. We were able to stop things like attacks on voting integrity, right, so auditing voter rolls, things that were related to anti-DEI, and areas that, for the past four years under my leadership, we've been able to embed programs and resources that lift up communities that have been forgotten. The infrastructure and housing investments that we've made in very poor urban areas and some of our rural areas, they were trying to claw back and wanted to take resources from underrepresented areas. So, we were able to stop a lot of silly stuff as well.
Rebekah Warren: WEMU's First Friday Focus on the Environment continues with Senator Sarah Anthony, Chair of the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee. I'm Rebekah Warren, here with my First Friday partner, President and CEO of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Lisa Wozniak.
Lisa Wozniak: Michigan's environmental agencies have been asked to do more and more with limited resources, and some of the resources that support environmental programs haven't kept pace with the cost of doing that work. Water infrastructure, which you've mentioned, is an arena where the needs are enormous, and I thank you for your leadership on this. I know that investments have been made, but communities across this state need continued investments, additional investments, in things like drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and other infrastructures, especially while the state is dealing with PFAS and other toxic contamination, putting additional stress on things. So, what I'd like to know is what do you think the appropriate role is for the state in helping communities make these additional investments?
Sen. Sarah Anthony: That's right. I think this next round of policy and budget discussions are going to require a different level of courage and creativity from those of us who are leading in the capital. We have silly politicians at the federal level who are interested in renaming our Great Lakes, instead of finding creative ways to preserve our Great Lakes, to ensure that regardless if you live in Flint or Benton Harbor, Lansing, the Detroit area, that you trust the water that's coming out of the tap, that we are leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come, that our water is really our biggest asset. And we've done a lot in terms of infrastructure on our roads and bridges. But if we don't address water infrastructure, I think that we're going to be missing the mark. And so, when we've had conversations, not just with our current lawmakers in the Capitol, but our future leadership in the Capitol, both in the Legislature as well as the executive, we have continued to press on environmental justice and making sure that water is a significant part of that. One thing we probably need to look at is the tipping fees, right? It's some of the things that we've talked about year after year, and many of us have made it clear that we need to at least be in line with other states across the Midwest. But it is a political issue that we just haven't been able to find some headway. So, we need to get creative and look for ways to address these issues head-on.
Rebekah Warren: Well, you actually borrowed my next question because I know the tipping fee issue. Well, it's an issue we've been looking at around the Capitol for more than 20 years. And I think our listeners know Michigan is still one of the cheapest states in the region to dump trash. And we're also facing growing needs around contaminated sites, material reuse and environmental cleanup. I know you expressed a little pessimism there about getting that one over the finish line, but what do you think the odds really are that in the next couple of budgets we might be able to actually make it a little more expensive to throw your trash away in Michigan's landfills?
Sen. Sarah Anthony: You know, this is what I'm looking forward to in the next couple of years, as I'm trying to find the Patty Birkholz in the Republican caucus. I'm looking for partners on both sides of the aisle who we may disagree on on several things, but we have to have champions from all walks of life, all regions, and all political persuasions that see this issue as not just an issue that is near and dear to anyone's heart, which is protecting our water, but they also see the economic advantages to us doing this. It's an issue of equity, and we honestly need to be protective. So, I am encouraged that there are some folks on both the aisle who want to get things done. I'm seen in the capital as a problem solver, and I'm looking forward to us taking the partisan talk off the table, which is not realistic in this very political time. But after the dust settles, that's what I'm looking for, and I think there'll be some folks who are willing to work with us on this issue.
Lisa Wozniak: So, as we reach the end of our time together, I want to look ahead. Do you see the next budget as an opportunity to revisit some of investments that weren't possible? You're talking about them. You're in a leadership position. How do you see that moving forward? Because this is, obviously, so critical to our health, safety, and well-being here in the state of Michigan.
Sen. Sarah Anthony: Our resources will be tight. I mean, make no mistake. This was only the first year we're seeing the impact of some of those federal cuts, and more are coming down the pike with this Trump administration. But I'm encouraged that with the right people at the table and if our values are what we say they are, then I am encouraged that we'll be able to maintain some of the investments and then hopefully build upon those in the next couple of years.
Rebekah Warren: Thank you so much for your time, Senator Anthony! This has been a great conversation, and, as always, with so much more to cover. So, you can rest assured we'll be inviting you back at some point in the future if you'll agree to help us dig even deeper into the funding issues that are facing Michigan.
Sen. Sarah Anthony: Thank you, Rebekah!
Rebekah Warren: That was Senator Sarah Anthony, Chair of the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee and our guest on First Friday, Focus on the Environment. My cohost is Lisa Wozniak, Executive Director and CEO of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. Lisa, as always, I appreciate you and look forward to our next conversation.
Lisa Wozniak: I look forward to it as well! And any day that I have a conversation with Rebekah Warren and Senator Anthony and invoke Patty Birkholz is a good day!
Rebekah Warren: I'm Rebekah Warren, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU, Ypsilanti.
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