The House Appropriations Committee moved combined “minibus” FY 2012 budgets to the House floor this week, largely on party-line votes and after rejecting a litany of Democratic-sponsored amendments. The combined budgets are a goal the Snyder Administration is trying to achieve in this budget process.
The first two minibus budgets were addressed Tuesday, a combined State Police, Judiciary, Department of Corrections and Military and Veterans Affairs budget (HB 4523) and a combined Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Natural Resources budget (HB 4524). The highlight of Tuesday’s work was the addition of an amendment by Representative Nancy Jenkins (R-Clayton) restoring $500,000 to avoid State Policy Trooper layoffs.
Wednesday’s Committee action moved two more combined spending plans to the House floor – a minibus budget for the Department of Community Health, the Department of Education and the Department of Human Services (HB 4525) and a budget for the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, the Department of Transportation and General Government (HB 4526). In a rare moment, Representative Joan Bauer (D-Lansing) was successful in securing the 14 necessary votes for her amendment to restore roughly $8 million in cuts for senior programs, such as Meals on Wheels, in the Department of Community Health budget.
The final bill, HB 4325, combines the school aid (K-12) budget with the Community Colleges and Higher Education budgets. The House Appropriations Committee approved the measure Thursday. The panel decreased the per-pupil foundation grant cut from 3.9-percent, as recommended by Governor Snyder, to 3.5-percent – approximately $50 million. In other highlights, the higher education portion of the spending plan includes tuition restraints and dips into the school aid fund for $700 million, both as recommended by Governor Snyder and both in conflict with the Senate-passed versions.