October 12, 2009
Governor says Legislature must act to protect police and fire services, K-12 education, Medicaid, Promise scholarships
LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed fiscal year 2010 appropriations bills for the departments of Corrections, Education and Transportation.
"While I have now signed six budget bills, work is far from done on the budget," Granholm said. "The Senate needs to send me the six budgets they are withholding, and both the Senate and the House need to finish their jobs. We must protect police and fire services, K-12 education, Medicaid, and the Promise scholarships, but so far, the Legislature has failed to provide the necessary funding."
Department of Corrections
The total operating budget for the Department of Corrections for fiscal year 2010 is $1.93 billion, which includes $1.87 billion in general fund money. The budget represents $120 million in cost savings.
Included in the budget is $1.6 billion to operate a safe and secure prison system that is diminishing in size because of a declining prisoner population, and $207 million to oversee and supervise the growing parolee and probationer populations. It also includes $115 million for community-based programs for low-level offenders as well as the Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative to reduce the state's costly recidivism rate by better preparing inmates for release.
The governor vetoed three line items. One line item was a negative $38.2 million which represents cost savings unspecified by the Legislature.
"A negative appropriation of this magnitude threatens the security and order of the state's correctional facilities," Granholm said. "Instead, I have directed the Department of Corrections to implement additional efficiencies and economies with a goal of saving $20 million."
The other two line items deal with the County Jail Reimbursement Program. One increased funding for the program by $4.3 million while the other funded the increase with $4.3 million in unspecified cost savings. The governor vetoed the two line items because of the Legislature's failure to change reimbursement criteria. By law, the program is supposed to reimburse counties for housing offenders in jail who otherwise would have been sentenced to prison. However, the Legislature chose not to change existing criteria that allows counties to be reimbursed for many cases that would not likely result in prison sentences.
"I support restoring the program to fiscal year 2009 appropriation levels with reforms that conform to statutory requirements," Granholm said.
Department of Education
The fiscal year 2010 appropriation for the Department of Education is $112.9 million, which includes $19.4 million in general fund money. The budget supports the department in its efforts to improve student achievement, administer the Library of Michigan, and administer school aid payments to local school districts. It also includes $13.7 million for operating the Michigan School for the Deaf and Blind.
The governor expressed concern that the budget reduces state aid to local public libraries by 40 percent.
"I am asking the Legislature to find the funding for libraries," Granholm said.
Department of Transportation
The fiscal year 2010 budget for the Department of Transportation is $3.3 billion for departmental operations, state and local infrastructure repair and reconstruction projects, and intermodal programs.
Nearly $2.3 billion is provided by the budget for state and local road and bridge construction and maintenance projects. The budget also provides $267 million for public transportation such as local bus, rail freight and marine programs. Another $125.7 million is for building and airport improvement projects.
The governor vetoed three line items. Two directed scarce transportation resources away from core program activities, while the third was for an unnecessary study.
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