MichMash: Michigan lawmakers pull an all-nighter to pass $83B budget bill
Monique Stanton from the Michigan League for Public Policy joined “MichMash” to discuss what elements were included in the budget — and what was left out.
FILE - The Michigan Capitol is seen, May 24, 2023, in Lansing, Mich. Michigan lawmakers passed an $83 billion budget for the next fiscal year. Lawmakers disagreed on education funding, stalling the budget passage until the early hours Thursday, June 27, 2024.
After a 19-hour session, the Michigan Legislature approved an $83 billion budget that provides a new approach to funding K-12 public education. “MichMash” host Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben were joined by Monique Stanton from the Michigan League for Public Policy to discuss what elements were included in the budget — and what was left out.
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In this episode:
- The items that were included and excluded from the 2025 budget bill
- The Michigan League for Public Policy’s position on the state’s economic development strategy.
- The future of paid family leave.
The final votes for the budget bill was cast around 5 a.m. on Thursday. According to Staton, one of the biggest items that passed was the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reform.
“It’s [TANF] our cash assistance program. It’s one of our biggest tools to help alleviate poverty,” Staton said. “We have not raised the payments for cash assistance in a number of years. We have some of the most restricted lifetime limits in TANF. And so we’re really excited to see some of that expansion in the 2025 budget take place.”
In regard to items of the bill that were excluded, there were several education-related elements that were left off.
“So I will say that, there was some really good stuff around education, but we would have liked to see the foundational allowance increased.” said Stanton. “We’re excited about the equitable school funding boost, but that lack of increase in the foundational Iowans is something we would have wanted to see.”
Stanton also stated that the reduction in mental health funding in schools was notable and something she would have like to have changed.
More from Gongwer News Service:
More from WDET:
- MichMash: Setting the budget for the 2025 fiscal year
- Detroit Today: Should Michigan require paid family leave?
- Michigan lawmakers approve budgets amid debate over school spending
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