State lawmakers tapped into federal COVID-19 relief money and the state’s “rainy day” savings fund to adopt a finalized budget plan Wednesday and send the bills to Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s budget chief and the Legislature’s Republican appropriations chairs announced they’re close to a final budget deal before the October 1st deadline.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor has submitted his budget for the next fiscal year, while noting that revisions may be needed due to swiftly changing conditions related to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday proposed a $61.9 billion state budget, including what she said would be the biggest increase for Michigan classroom operations in 20 years.
When $525,000 in state funding was cut from a popular school truancy program she runs to help students in rural northeastern Michigan, Dorothy Pintar held off as long as possible on reducing staff.
Democratic and Republican leaders are hopeful they will reach a deal on a supplemental budget. But it looks like that won’t happen until after Thanksgiving. The House and Senate are on break. Though they have one tentative session day scheduled next week.
Lawmakers still harbor hard feelings and mistrust over Governor Whitmer’s budget vetoes and her use of an administrative board to move money from one program to another. The Legislature’s leadership has been meeting with the governor -- and Whitmer said they seemed close to a bargain.
Republicans in the Legislature have proposed what they say is a first step toward restoring widely unpopular budget cuts. Many of the cuts were enacted by a board controlled by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
