The clock is ticking for Michigan’s Legislature and Governor Gretchen Whitmer as the deadline to finalize a budget approaches. With the July 1 cutoff looming, both the House and Senate appear to be at an impasse, raising concerns about a potential budget crisis.
House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) has yet to see his chamber adopt a budget package. Despite proposing a stop-gap budget, Hall criticized Democrats for not being serious about reaching a budget agreement. “I’ve never had confidence that the Democrats… we’re going to get something done by July 1,” Hall expressed in his weekly press conference. He remains hopeful, however, about passing education budgets soon, though he previously indicated that the House isn’t strictly bound by budget deadlines. For more insights, visit the full article here.
Last week, the House moved forward by adopting a higher education budget that entails significant cuts to state funding for the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, while other public universities would see increases. Additionally, a school aid budget was also approved. However, these actions lag a month behind the Senate’s budget decisions, and the House has not yet approved budget bills for state departments and agencies, which are interconnected with education budgets.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) criticized Hall for potentially steering the state toward a budget crisis. She emphasized the need for negotiations involving both legislative chambers and the governor. “By its very nature, it must be negotiated by the House and the Senate and the governor, so it’s incredibly irresponsible to wait until the last minute,” she stated to Michigan Public Radio. Brinks also drew parallels to what she described as “very Trump-like behavior” of creating crises and shifting blame.
Local governments, community colleges, public universities, and K-12 schools face fiscal years starting July 1, underscoring the urgency for a timely budget. Although state law mandates budget completion by this date, it lacks penalties for non-compliance. The state’s fiscal year officially begins on October 1.
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