Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will deliver her first State of the State address a week later than planned to avoid having it on the same night as President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech.
The Democratic governor will speak Feb. 12 during a joint session of the Republican-led Legislature in Lansing. Her office proposed the new date Tuesday, and House Speaker Lee Chatfield agreed.
Whitmer's address initially was scheduled for Feb. 5, but Trump's speech was delayed due to the record-setting partial shutdown of the federal government. Whitmer said both speeches are "incredibly important," and the public should have an opportunity to "absorb both."
The yearly State of the State address is a chance for the new governor to unveil her policy agenda.
