Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed the $23.4 billion education spending plan for 2025 that includes free pre-K for many families and free community college education. The budget, which goes into effect Oct. 1, also continues free breakfast and lunches for all students at a cost of $200 million. The $54 million investment will provide free pre-K for about 5,300 additional children in the state, according to state officials. The spending plan also includes a $30 million investment to expand the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which state officials say most students qualify for. Whitmer also signed House Bill 4718, a bill to ban the use of the LGBTQ panic defense, into law. Michigan is now the 20th state to ban the defense, which had legally protected a person who attacks their partner after finding out they’re a member of the LGBTQ community.