Jason Cody, an MSU spokesperson, said it’s too early to tell how the budget bump from $43.8 million to $47 million could impact tuition, but he did point out “as state aid has declined, many public universities have had to make up for that somehow.”

Republicans applauded the bill’s))/mileg.aspx?page=BillStatus&objectname=2013-HB-4228 passage Wednesday morning on the Senate floor, but Democrats shot back a volley of verbal assaults, demanding revisions before many lawmakers headed to Mackinac Island for a policy conference later that evening.

“They say two wrongs don’t make a right, but with this budget it looks like two majorities can make a wrong,” said Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing. “This bill does nothing to counteract the unprecedented $2 billion slashed from our public schools under Governor Snyder and the legislative Republican majorities in the last three years — money that was used for corporate tax breaks.”

Sen. Steven Bieda, D-Warren, also criticized Republicans for the 15 percent cuts in university state-aid over the last ten years, and for using funds he said were intended for K-12 for universities.

But Republicans say they put money back into schools))/mileg.aspx?page=getobject&objectname=2013-SJ-05-29-051&query=on after approving slashes.

Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw, said K-12 students can expect a $30 per pupil funding increase, including pupil performance grants, technology grants and other boosts for specific programs.

Also rising to “make a technical correction” was Sen. Bruce Caswell, R-Hillsdale.

“I’ve heard the passion from the other side, and I appreciate it very much,” Caswell said.

But Caswell said Democrats failed to acknowledge money put back into the School Aid Fund after the slashes. That’s money used for K-12 education. He added that when you take into account the re-investment, the funds taken out seem less important.

Caswell didn’t deny that the cuts took place, however, or that the increases still fall short of pre-gouge levels.