Gov. Rick Snyder signed the state’s general fund spending plan for fiscal year 2019 Thursday, and it includes a provision he says his administration won’t enforce.
That measure would cut funding to Planned Parenthood. It requires county health departments to favor family planning clinics that don’t offer abortions.
Snyder said that provision is unconstitutional because there is a separate law that says how family planning money is distributed. It's already illegal in Michigan for public money to be directly used for abortions.
“If they wanted to look at that as an issue, it would have to be done legislatively on that particular statute,” he said.
Backers of the provision said it was a way to encourage the state to look at other options for family planning services. The measure was not subject to a line item veto.
The budget also includes more money for roads.
“So I hope our citizens are looking forward to seeing a lot more barrels out there,” Snyder said. “These will be great projects.”
Public safety also gets a boost and more money will be put toward paying down the state’s debt. The budget also brings the state’s savings account up to more than $1 billion. This was the general fund budget. Snyder plans to sign the education budget next week.
