House Republicans Appoint Ann Bollin as New Appropriations Chair
In a significant development for Michigan’s legislative landscape, Representative Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Twp) has been appointed as the new chair of the House Appropriations Committee. This appointment places her at the forefront of the state’s budget formulation and fiscal oversight.
Bollin, who is serving her fourth term, emphasized her commitment to enhancing transparency and accountability within the state’s financial dealings. “We’re not coming here because we want to slash everything. What we want to do is increase the transparency and accountability and make sure that every program is giving us value for the dollar. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. In fact, I think that’s what you should expect us to do,” she stated during a press conference announcing her new role.
Following the November elections, Republicans secured a majority in the state House, positioning them to implement their fiscal strategies. Alongside Bollin, Representatives Matt Maddock (R-Milford) and Alabas Farhat (D-Dearborn) will serve as vice chair and minority vice chair, respectively. Farhat, who was informed of his new role during the press conference, expressed his focus on road funding and reducing living costs.
The Republican leadership also introduced a new approach to the budget-writing process aimed at cutting perceived wasteful expenditures. This includes dividing the subcommittee responsible for the state’s health department budget into three distinct sections.
These subcommittees will handle different aspects of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) budget, focusing on public assistance, health services, and Medicaid and Behavioral Health. This strategic division is part of a broader effort to align with new accountability measures, as detailed by House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Twp), who plans to establish subcommittees under the House Oversight Committee. Hall remarked, “You’ve got three oversight committees working hand in hand with three appropriations subcommittees because a lot of this value for your dollars that we’re going to get is going to come out of DHHS and other places.”
With a budget exceeding $37.6 billion, the DHHS represents the largest component of the state budget. More details on the budget allocation can be found in the state budget document.
Additionally, the Republicans plan to streamline other budget processes, such as combining the judiciary and corrections budgets. This move follows a change in the House rules for the 2025-2026 session, which requires lawmakers to disclose requests for certain funding items, though some spending requests can still be made anonymously according to a report by the Detroit News.
Hall suggested that additional transparency measures might be introduced in the future, saying, “That’s why I included it in the rule that way, where it’s done by resolution in a vote of the body so that we can hear the feedback and you see where the gaps are, and then we can look to address those in the rules.”
Meanwhile, the state Senate remains under Democratic control. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) stated she has no plans to mimic the Republicans’ budget restructuring approach, emphasizing her focus on essential services and road funding. She commented, “Our constituents are looking for us to stand in the gap and to mind the state’s coffers. And whether that’s looking at road funding, essential services in that DHHS budget, look, you can slice and dice the chairs all you want. I want to make sure that people have the services they need.”
Legislative budget proposals are expected to emerge in the early months of the year, with a complete budget traditionally passed by June’s end.
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