Budget Negotiations
Lawmakers at the state Capitol will continue today to resolve the differences between their various state budgets. The Associated Press reports:
Joint panels of House and Senate members are scheduled to begin formal conferences on the budget Wednesday and Thursday. The House and Senate have approved different versions of the next budget and compromises must be reached before a spending plan can become law. A key factor for the overall budget plan will be determining how deep to cut state aid to K-12 schools. Gov. Rick Snyder has proposed an additional $300 per student cut for the fiscal year that starts in October, on top of a $170 per student cut that's already on the books. Some Senate Republicans are among the many lawmakers seeking to make the school cuts less deep.
Cities want Emergency Managers?
Jackson’s Mayor has asked the state to review the city’s finances. Michigan Radio’s Tracy Samilton reports that’s the first step towards the state appointing an Emergency Manager for the city. From Samilton:
Mayor Karen Dunigan says the city needs the state’s help, even though it has a balanced budget. She says the budget covers payroll and not much else, and meanwhile, the city has $80-million in debt, with no plan to pay anything on the debt except the interest expenses. The state has also been asked to look at Allen Park’s finances, and Flint’s Mayor says he wants a state review, too. A new state law allows an Emergency Manager to set aside union contracts, along with elected officials' powers.
Obama Job Approval
A new poll finds President Obama's favorability rose among Michigan voters after Osama bin Laden's death. But, as the Associated Press reports, the poll, “finds that most state voters are unhappy with how he's handling the economy. The EPIC-MRA poll released Tuesday showed 53 percent of 600 likely voters polled May 9-11 had a favorable opinion of the Democratic president, up 9 points since February. Forty percent had an unfavorable opinion and 7 percent were undecided. A third gave him a positive job rating on handling the economy, while 66 percent gave him a negative rating and 2 percent were undecided.”
