State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, has posted a Facebook status update early Tuesday morning signaling a vote on Michigan’s budget is likely to happen Tuesday.

On his Facebook page, Meadows wrote:

“looks like votes on all budgets Tuesday. Glad this day has come. Still cannot stomach k-12 (with 220 million set aside for no programs in that budget), higher ed (with no promise grant money) and government operations (with a devastating cut to police and fire and the likelihood that many of our communities all over the state will enter municipal bankruptcy), I feel like it is either put up–or shut down.”

The news comes as jittery lawmakers return from a holiday break, and a weekend of canceled sessions. The state has until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday to pass a balanced budget, or some sort of temporary budget, or the state’s operations shut down. Lawmakers and Gov. Jennifer Granholm are not eager for a repeat of 2007, when the state had to shut down for several hours because the legislature could not pass a budget.

The state faces nearly $2.8 billion in deficits, but an agreement between House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford; and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, set up both chambers to have to cut of nearly $1.3 billion from the state’s budget, filling the remainder of the gap with federal stimulus monies.

The Republican dominated Senate has been pushing for deep cuts in school funding, higher education, the Michigan Promise Scholarship and revenue sharing with local governments, as well as cuts to Medicaid reimbursements and prisons. The Democratic controlled House, on the other hand, has been pushing for a combination of cuts and tax and fee increases. The Democrats, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, have proposed taxes to bottled water, soda pop, and entertainment tickets, as well as increasing alcohol and tobacco taxes.

Briefly on Friday the House began voting on fee increases, but recessed at 6 p.m. promising to come back into session at 7 p.m. for more votes. The chamber finally reconvened after 9 p.m. and passed two bills that did not include fee or tax increases, then adjourned.

Earlier Friday, Senate Republicans passed two temporary budgets, which Democrats called “self-inflicted wounds.” Republican adjourned the session and many took off to spend the weekend on Mackinac Island at the Republican Policy Conference, which Democrats also attacked.

Dillon has argued that the chambers should pass the deep cuts proposed by Republicans, then come back later and generate additional taxes and fees to reinstate some of the cuts.

College students from around the state are planning on converging on the capitol tomorrow morning in a last ditch attempt to save the Michigan Promise Scholarship program. Students and law makers rallied at the capitol last week, and gave lawmakers petitions with over 2,500 signatures supporting the scholarship. Students also started a phone campaign to pressure lawmakers to keep the scholarship, originally targeting 20 lawmakers, but by Monday they were targeting only 15.

On Sunday 20 people gathered at the capitol to protest any proposals to increase taxes or fees.

A screen shot of East Lansing Democrat Mark Meadow's Facebook status.

A screen shot of East Lansing Democrat Mark Meadow's Facebook status.