To address the continuing threat of terrorism and to work with the federal Department of Homeland Security (created in 2002 following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001), homeland security in Michigan in 2003 operated under the authority of the executive order; the state police director was designated as the state homeland security advisor.
Educational services are handled in part by the Department of Education, which distributes state school-aid funds, certifies teachers, and operates the School for the Deaf at Flint, the School for the Blind at Lansing, the State Technical Institute and Rehabilitation Center at Plainwell, and the state library system. The 13 state-supported colleges and universities are independent of the department's control, each being governed by an elected or appointed board. Although most of the funds administered by the Department of Transportation go for highway construction and maintenance, some allocations support improvements of railroad, bus, ferry, air, and port services.
Health and welfare services are provided by the Department of Community Health, the Department of Metal Health, the Family Independence Agency, and the Department of Civil Rights, as well as through programs administered by the Department of Labor, the Commission on Services to the Aging, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Michigan Women's Commission, the Indian Affairs Commission, the Spanish-Speaking Affairs Commission, and the Veterans Trust Fund. The state's Army and Air National Guard units are maintained by the Department of Military Affairs. Civil defense is part of the Department of State Police, and state prisons and other correctional facilities are maintained by the Department of Corrections.
Housing services are provided by the State Housing Development Authority. The Department of Labor establishes and enforces rules and standards relating to safety, wages, licenses, fees, and conditions of employment Security Commission administers unemployment benefits and assists job seekers.