By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-925254.mp3
LANSING, MI –
The Legislature continued working on portions of the budget Wednesday at the state Capitol. But as Michigan Public Radio's Laura Weber reports, one of the pieces of the budget deal is causing confusion.
AUDIO:
House Speaker Andy Dillon called to Speaker Pro Tem Pam Byrnes.
"Hey Pam," he said...
...for the vote count being tallied in favor of retirement incentives for state workers. He needs more than 50 votes for approval. He didn't get the report back that he wanted.
"What?" he asked.
"Nineteen," came the response.
"There's only nineteen yeses?" he asked.
"That's what she said," a voice affirmed.
Amidst heated debates on the House floor this week, Dillon has been unable to wrangle enough votes for the state-employee retirement deal that he says is a key component to the budget deal.
The deal is idled for now, and it's unclear if the question of the retirement proposal will continue to linger into next week. The budget deadline is October 1.