Where does the Michigan state budget stand?
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (WOOD) — With plenty of politicians and stakeholders gathered for the Detroit Regional Chamber Mackinac Policy Conference, the pending state budget is bound to be part of the conversation.
Michigan currently has a divided government, which means working out a new spending plan could take a while. The Democrats have pushed one through the Senate, but Republicans in the House don't seem impressed.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said some adjustments will need to be made because of changes in projections for state revenue. Still, she said, her party has put together a budget that will work.
'The Senate has passed a budget that was based on budget projection numbers, fiscal projection numbers that were created for that purpose of creating an initial budget. Those were January numbers,' Brinks said. 'It's a responsible budget, ready for negotiation with the other chamber.'
What is in Gov. Whitmer's $83.5 billion state budget proposal
The House has passed its own version that Republicans says would prevent a government shutdown. They say they are working on a larger spending deal.
Speaker of the House Matt Hall, R-Richland, said the Senate plan doesn't add up.
'The budget has grown 43% since (Gov. Gretchen) Whitmer took office, and that's without this billion-dollar budget Brinks and Senate Democrats have come up with. We have the money to prioritize roads, public safety and education. We can do all three. But we have to set better priorities than what we've seen from the Democrats,' Hall said.
Leaders from both chambers say a road funding plan needs to be built around the budget, though they don't agree on how to pay for it.
The budget is supposed to be done by July 1, but increasingly, it looks like negotiations may go into the summer — or perhaps into the fall. The new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.
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