By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-904081.mp3
LANSING, MI –
The state police budget is headed into negotiations between the state House and Senate. As Michigan Public Radio's Laura Weber reports, a key difference is whether to add a five-dollar fee to traffic tickets.
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The proposal from House Democrats included an additional five-dollar fee on traffic tickets, which would generate a few million dollars. That would help pay for crime labs, state troopers and state Capitol security.
Republican state Senator Valde Garcia says the fee wasn't a bad suggestion. But the GOP wants to balance the budget without any new fees or taxes.
"Certainly I'd like to see these other problems solved, but that's the reason why we decided to take that ticket assessment out," he says. "Because that's the caucus position."
Garcia says most lawmakers agree they would like a budget that preserves the jobs of state troopers, county sheriffs and state Capitol security. But he says all options are up for discussion as they work to balance the budget.