Port Huron, MI — A bipartisan budget agreement has been reached for the state of Michigan. Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, along with Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield, both Republicans, released a statement saying that the COVID-19 impact on the budget is significant and that the new budget prioritizes funding for “Michigan families, schools, and communities grappling with costs incurred as a result of the virus.”
There are significant reductions in funding from the previous year, but there is also CARES Act funding for education and local governments. $915 million from the CARES Act has been allocated for schools, hazard pay for teachers, universities and community colleges, and to local governments to combat increased costs from COVID-19. There is also a strategy to solve the $2.2 billion projected deficit.
In a joint statement, the leaders pledged to put politics aside, saying, “Our collective priority is a healthy state and a healthy economy. We are committed to working together to address the remaining shortfalls in next year’s budget, and we are looking to our partners in Congress for support to help maintain the essential services relied upon by our families and small businesses.”
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
