Michigan's students aren't the only ones who pull all-nighters. Recently, our elected reps in Lansing stayed up past bedtime, blinking at paperwork and hitting “approve” in the wee hours of the morning. But good news! The state finally passed its budget, kind of like finishing a massive school project on the morning it’s due. There are some big changes in it that are likely to impact you one way or another, so let's take a look at what they did!
Here are Five Fast Facts on Michigan's final budget:
- ⌛ Bringing Up The Rear - Lansing was supposed to have passed a budget by October 1st, but the bickering prevented that from happening. So, they took a page from the US Congress' playbook, passed a temporary funding bill, and then went back to haggling until all the details were sorted.
- 💰 Big Bucks - The core budget is around $51.8 billion for general government operations, another $24 billion for schools and higher education. This is lower than the total $82.5 billion that was approved, so...yay for restraint (for a change)?
- 👻 Ghost Jobs Vanish - Approximately 2,000 unfunded state jobs -- or jobs that were funded but not filled -- were cut out of the plan. And you thought ghosts were just a Halloween thing...
- 🛣️ Roads Get Loved, Businesses Get Pinched - The Department of Transportation got a $420 million boost from a new tax on pot, while businesses complained about a bunch of tax changes that raise the cost of growing businesses and investing -- and the cost of pot! -- in Michigan.
- 🏫 School Paradox - A 4.6% increase in per-pupil funding pushed it to a record high of over $10k, but critics still pointed out it's way less than the national average ($17k). Then they ate some cheese with their whine.
🔥Bottom line: Whew, what a rollercoaster! Michigan's budget bash ended with everyone stumbling home at dawn, pockets full of promises and eye bags deeper than Lake Superior. Will it fix the many issues out there or just kick the can down the road? Who knows – but one thing's for sure: next year's showdown might need some cots and a nap timer. Pass the coffee, folks; democracy's exhausting!
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