State budget process moves into next phase

LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) — In Lansing Tuesday, there was movement in the budget process for next year.

The Michigan Senate is taking up budget bills for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.

The upper chamber took the preliminary steps in approving its spending bills and is expected to start taking final votes as early as tomorrow.

The House is also expected to have its bills on the floor soon, having already moved them out of committee. Much of the groundwork on spending has been done with hearings and votes at the committee level.

The budget process is moving into the next phase now that Democrats have a majority in the House again after special election filled two vacancies.

After both chambers pass their respective bills, they will head to conference committee where negotiators for the House, Senate and governor will hammer out the final budget, which is expected to be delivered to the governor by July 1.

In her budget presentation, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed $80.7 billion in spending for fiscal year 2025. The state’s total general fund budget, which is what funds most of what you think of as government, is $14.3 billion. The governor’s proposed education budget is $23.4 billion, up about $2 billion from 2024.

With majorities in both chambers and a demonstrated willingness for Democrats to go along with the governor, we can expect the spending to be along the lines of what Whitmer requested. Some of the preliminary bills vary slightly from her budget presentation, but that will be worked out in conference.

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