Legislators go home with no budget deal

After spending the day deliberating and passing bills, Michigan lawmakers went home for the night Tuesday without reaching a budget resolution.

But lawmakers were confident a resolution would come before a government shutdown became necessary Oct. 1.

Megan Brown, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granhom, said lawmakers were working diligently to avoid the possibility of a shutdown and the governor believes in their ability to settle the budget.

Not all lawmakers were happy with the day’s progress, however. State Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, said he feared a continuation might be a result of the holdup.

“I consider this total dysfunction,” he said. “We should’ve been done by now.”

The state of the Michigan Promise Scholarship had not yet been determined at press time Tuesday and would have to wait until today, after the Senate adjourned for the night. A joint House and Senate higher education committee voted Wednesday to eliminate the scholarship, and a House Appropriations Committee passed a bill Thursday to reinstate it using as-yet-unidentified funding.

State Rep. Joan Bauer, D-Lansing, who chairs the higher education committee, said although the status of the Michigan Promise Scholarship had not changed since last week, she remains optimistic.

“I am hopeful that by the end of tomorrow that we’ll have passed a bill that identifies the (Promise) revenue,” she said.

During Tuesday’s talks, revenue sharing was cut by 11 percent, medical reimbursements were slimmed and state fair funding was reinstated.

Debating higher education and K-12 spending caused some of the holdup, said Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing.

“For a lot of us, education is our No. 1 priority,” he said.

Staff writer Brittany Shammas contributed to this report.