Proposals finalized by conference committees
Both the Michigan House and Senate decided not to have sessions they had set for Sunday. In fact the full legislature won't come back until Tuesday. That doesn't give lawmakers much time. They'll have to race to beat a Thursday deadline if they hope to erase a $2.8 Billion budget deficit.
Some legislative leaders and members of key committees did meet on specific budget issues Sunday. One committee voted to cut prison spending by 5 percent by completing a previously announced plan to close prisons and prison camps.
A second conference committee voted to cut state aid to local libraries by 40%. Aid to local libraries would drop from $10 million to $6 million.
A proposal to cut state revenue sharing to cities, counties, and townships by 20% will likely be scaled back. Sources tell 7 74 news the final number may be closer to 12%. But even that amount could be a devastating blow to local govenments.
Also unclear: the fate of school aid funding. One proposal to cut funding by $218 per pupil.
But many democrats want to raise taxes or fees to fund everyone's priorities. Many republicans want to avoid tax hikes at all costs.
Also on the table - a budget extension to buy lawmakers an extra month to hammer out the details. That proposal, though, can't be voted on until the last day of September.
This report was compiled from several stories by the Associated Press, as well as independent reporting by the author.
