Mackinac Center sues Michigan over ‘pork-barrel' spending
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The has filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Labor, challenging the legality of pork-barrel spending.
Pork-barrel refers to the legislative practice of slipping funding for a local project into a broader budget, even when the project may have little or nothing to do with the larger bill.
The Mackinac Center says they are an independent, nonprofit research and educational institute based in Midland, Michigan.
The center says this spending is 'often hidden from public scrutiny, disproportionately benefits legislative districts controlled by the majority party.'
They say that Michigan's Constitution states that funds directed towards a specific local or private program must receive two-thirds support.
They say legislators have ignored this requirement in passing recent budgets, 'undermining safeguards put in place to prevent political patronage and corruption.'
'Michigan's budget process fell short of the transparency and accountability that taxpayers deserve,' said Patrick Wright, Vice President for Legal Affairs at the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation, in a news release sent to 6 News.
'Too often, decisions were made behind closed doors, shaped by political connections rather than the broader public interest. Greater transparency and following the supermajority voting requirement would help ensure that state spending reflects the priorities of all Michigan residents, not just a few,' added Wright.
The cites two baseball stadiums, Jimmy John's Field in Utica and Jackson Field in Lansing, worth $1.5 million and $1 million, respectively.
The lawsuit also cites money being used to fund , a , a , labor unions, a , developers, donors, and private organizations favored by lawmakers as examples of pork-barrel spending.
'The funding was clearly aimed at those local entities and did not receive the necessary two-thirds approval from lawmakers,' said the Mackinac Center in a news release sent to 6 News.
The Mackinac Center's lawsuit seeks to 'restore fiscal accountability and ensure that taxpayer dollars are allocated through a transparent and constitutional process (and) to uphold the integrity of Michigan's budgeting process and prevent further abuse of public funds.'
Mackinac Center lawsuitDownload
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