Dear Friends,
I’m writing to you from the floor of the House of Representatives to give you an update on this busy day as my colleagues and I continue to sort out the budget process ahead of the start of the new fiscal year. As you may know, the Legislature needs to present the governor with a budget she is prepared to sign before Oct. 1, or risk the real possibility of a state government shutdown.
Already today, the House of Representatives has voted to approve the School Aid Budget which funds our traditional and charter K-12 public schools, while also providing some funding to our state colleges and universities. The budget passed the House with an overwhelming bipartisan majority. I voted in favor of the bill, despite my reservations over cuts to funding for at-risk student support. Overall, the positives outweighed the negatives, and I am pleased that the House Fiscal Agency estimates that Lincoln Consolidated Schools and Ypsilanti Community Schools should anticipate increases of approximately $970,000 and $692,000 respectively for the current school year over last year.
Later this afternoon, I will participate in three conference committee meetings. These special bicameral committees will attempt to produce final versions of the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) budgets. I have included a graphic below and on my website that may provide some further clarity on this complex budget process. Be sure to let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you all for your interest. I will keep you posted as new developments with our state budget unfold.
Sincerely,
Ronnie Peterson
State Representative
House District 54