Mostly on a party-line vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported over a dozen state budget bills this week. The budgets reported include the Department of Education, Higher Education, Judiciary, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Department of Transportation, among others. The budgets include a $372.5 million fund for local infrastructure projects and increases the per-pupil funding by 4.2% to $10,008, among other items.
Timeframe:
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- Once they pass the Senate, the two chambers will need to work together to finalize a state budget prior to the beginning of the next fiscal year on October 1, 2025.
- While in the past few years, the legislature has finalized the budget in the summer, House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) is not sure that will be accomplished this year.
- If a budget is not in place on October 1, Michigan’s government would shut down.
Next Steps:
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- The bills will be sent to the Senate floor for consideration.
- The biannual May Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference will be held next Friday, May 16. The agreed-upon revenue projections will be used as the legislature continues to work on the budget.
