Michigan’s parliament wants to pass budget before summer recess

The Michigan State Legislature will reconvene on Tuesday to finalize the state budget and some other business before heading into its summer recess on Thursday.

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate want to finalize budgets for departments, aid to local governments and spending for K-12 schools, community colleges and public universities and get them to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk.

Also on the to-do list is a controversial redesign of the state’s economic development program. Whitmer called for $350 million to be invested in a new Make It in Michigan Competitiveness Fund.

Many details are still being negotiated, but Democratic Rep. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor) expressed hope that it can be done this week.

“We have put forward a comprehensive, extensive, long-term economic development package that includes housing, job attraction, job creation. It’s a huge package that would have a significant impact if we could implement it,” Morgan told the Michigan Public Radio Network.

This will almost certainly require the votes of both Republicans and Democrats, because in addition to bipartisan support, there is also bipartisan skepticism about government subsidies for companies.

State Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) said he would like to see a program to help Michigan secure the kind of development deals that have been struck in other states, but he said Democrats and the Whitmer administration need to show that the benefits will be spread across the state.

“There are some specific details that concern a lot of us,” he said. “You know, is the amount of money being spent locally the right amount? Does that make us uncompetitive? Are there a lot of highly politically charged things involved? That’s going to scare off Republicans at least.”