The Senate and House remain on session break this week and through the Thanksgiving Holiday and are still on schedule to return to Lansing for the final week of a short lame duck session on November 30, December 1 and 2.

Still undecided is what the three-day agenda will include and speculation continues on whether funding will be provided for several initiatives.

The travel and tourism industry has put up billboards in the Lansing area calling for action on providing $25 million in funding for the Pure Michigan advertising campaign. Governor Granholm has called on legislators to allocate the $25 million through the appropriations process to allow the national travel promotion campaign to resume this winter and next spring/summer. Legislative leadership has not yet committed to bring the issue up for a vote.

The appropriators likely will consider approving capital outlay spending for building projects at state universities and community colleges. The House and Senate have passed differing versions of the spending plan, which provides for state bonding to match funding secured locally by the institutions.

Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb met with legislators last week calling for approval of the use of $400 million in future tobacco settlement money to create a fund to assist struggling school districts.

Mr. Bobb said that the Detroit schools have a deficit of over $300 million and 41 other school districts in the state with lower deficits also could compete for a portion of the tobacco settlement funds.

Since legislation has not yet been introduced for the proposal, the mechanics alone for a three-day workweek will greatly limit the chances of success.