LANSING, MI (MPRN)-- Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign budget bills Monday and avert a partial shutdown of state government at midnight.
But Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta says it’s not “game over” for the governor’s request for more money to fix roads.
The Legislature’s Republican majorities ignored the governor’s request for a fuel tax increase and more money for schools. Instead, they and sent her their own budgets to accept or reject. Kurt Weiss is with the state budget office says the governor can use the line-item veto and other powers to re-start the bargaining.
“There’s a number of things we can do to try and get these budgets back into a position where we can bargain and negotiate a better budget.”
Republicans expect line-item vetoes from the Democratic governor. But they’re waiting to see what she does before deciding their next moves. It’s normal for the Legislature to adopt mid-year budget adjustments based on emerging needs and changes in revenue.