In a flurry of legislative activity,
conference committee reports were finalized for the Michigan Departments of
Corrections, Judiciary, & Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Here is a brief
recap of the budgets:
Corrections
Under the provisions of Senate Bill 197,
Mound Prison would be reopened with the city of Detroit reimbursing the state
for running the center. Additional funding provisions included job training
pilot program to assist parolees returning to the workforce and a one-time new
employee training school at community colleges. The budget also reflected a $6
million savings for privatizing food services.
Judiciary
The final report (Senate Bill 191) included
an additional $5 million appropriation for Michigan to develop or expand
specialty courts for substances abusers, military veterans and those with
mental health issues. The report also
included funding for two additional attorneys in the State Appellate Defender’s
Office.
Licensing
and Regulatory Affairs
The report (Senate Bill 190), passed on
straight party-line votes, would prohibit state departments from writing rules
more stringent than federal standards and from using full-time employee counts
as placeholders in future budget discussions. Funding was also appropriated for
a nursing home survey, a new fireworks safety grant, and to law enforcement
efforts to crack down on medical marijuana operations.