Increased opiate addictions put strain on budgets

An increase in people with addictions to opiates is putting a stain on state budget allocation to programs that help people out of addiction.

College students, Bridge cards and taxpayer savings

Amidst a continuing state budget crisis equaling billions in deficit, lawmakers have made a point to go after what they call “abuse and waste” in the Food Assistance Program.

Report: state health cuts could damage emergency response

A report released Tuesday by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that Michigan’s cuts to public health budgets in the last two years could negatively impact emergency responses to emerging disease, bioterrorism and natural disasters.

Luke examines the tax reform question in Michigan

As Gov.-elect Rick Snyder was in Colorado and California last week immersed in high intensity workshops, the questions about Michigan’s tax revenues loomed large in Michigan. The state faces an estimated one billion dollar deficit in the coming year, and proposals from both parties could add as much as another $1.5 billion to the deficit.

Legislature passes higher education funding bill

The Michigan House and Senate moved closer to having the FY 2011 budget finalized on Tuesday by passing a funding bill for higher education. The bill included a 2.8 percent cut in state funding for universities, but a provision that would have required them to make annual reports on embryonic stem cell research was not [...]

Sen. Gilda Jacobs: Without Medicaid funding, state will face budget crisis

The state of Michigan is waiting on $500 million from the federal government to shore up Medicaid spending. But the money is tied up in Congressional battles over extending unemployment benefits, which in turn are stalled by the unexpected passing of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia). Without the Medicaid funding, Michigan will have to trim [...]

Granholm on budget: Essential services are the only thing left to cut

Gov. Jennifer Granholm spent Wednesday pounding the pavement in the nation’s capitol seeking extensions to unemployment and additional Medicaid funding. Neither ended up materializing. Granholm was looking for Congress to approve $514 million in Medicaid funding, which will shore up the coming state budget; without it, Medicaid reimbursements will likely be chopped.

Bouchard budget fix: turn over rest areas to private companies

Republican candidate for governor Mike Bouchard announced Friday he has a plan to start addressing Michigan’s budget crisis. That plan, according to his website, is to turn over Michigan’s rest areas to private businesses.

Granholm calls 2009 ‘difficult year’

Gov. Jennifer Granholm recalled a troublesome year for the state of Michigan at an end-of-year press conference, blaming budget dysfunction on term limits, endorsing deep changes to the state’s tax structure and predicting more budget troubles in 2010

In ‘crisis’ mode, Bishop says it’s time to slash luxuries

LANSING — Staring down a budget deadline, Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop said Tuesday evening that the state is in “crisis management” mode and that it’s time to cut luxuries, including the Michigan Promise scholarship, local revenue sharing and health care.

“We are essentially a board of directors that has been faced with a substantial loss of revenue and we have to determine between needs and wants,” the Rochester Republican said in an interview with Michigan Messenger. “That is an uncomfortable discussion.”