Following the State of the State
address, Governor Snyder outlined his financial plan for Flint and requested
additional funding in his budget proposal meeting. In response, the House has
since passed a $28 million Flint water spending bill.
HB
5220 allocates this supplemental spending and is being described as the
“next step” in addressing the Flint Water crisis. The bill now moves to the
Senate, where Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Dave Hildenbrand (R-Lowell)
intends to bring the bill up next week. This $28 million supplemental is in
addition to $22 million in the General Fund allocated to the city of Flint.
Spending items include: $2 million to support National Guard efforts, $935,000
to the Department of Education, $17 million for the Department of Heath and
Human Services, $5.8 million to the Department of Environmental Quality, and $2
million to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
As steps are being made towards fixing
Flint, Governor Snyder now faces two additional class-action lawsuits regarding
the situation. The governor already has a lawsuit against him that was filed in
November. These additional lawsuits are specifically targeting Snyder, the
Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Environmental
Quality and other government officials. These lawsuits seek compensation and
damages for the legionella bacteria and lead-tainted water.