LANSING – Administration and legislative officials have been meeting continuously on proposed executive order budget cuts and as soon as the different sides reach an agreement, Governor Jennifer Granholm will issue a letter informing the Legislature that the cuts are being issued, but the Senate leader said Thursday that his chamber will take up the executive order cuts on December 10.
The action of Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) to not hold session on Tuesday came as a surprise, but officials said Senate Republicans have started to grow frustrated at issues coming to the chamber that were not considered priorities for the lame duck session.
House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.) blasted Mr. Bishop’s action, calling it “myopic and dangerous.”
Granholm has been involved in some of the discussions on budget cuts, sources said, and Budget Director Bob Emerson has been involved in most of the meetings.The discussions have been productive, sources said, and ongoing.
Executive order cuts will not be issued, however, until there is an agreement between all sides on what the cuts will entail, sources said. With such little time left in the year, the administration will not issue the cuts unless all are agreed to ahead of time to avoid any political fights.
A number of people expect the cuts to be issued next week, although sources were not willing to be pinned down to a date.
However, in issuing his statement, Bishop said specifically that the Senate would act on the cuts on Wednesday, implying he expects them to have been issued by that time.
It is the two appropriations committees that must approve the cuts, not the full chambers.
In his statement, Bishop, “Given the magnitude of our state’s budget crisis, the Senate Republicans will continue our focus on essential items which directly impact our state budget.”
While negotiations will continue on other priorities, Mr. Bishop said the Senate will not vote on other items until the executive order is completed.
Dillon said in his statement that Bishop and the Senate have “repeatedly stonewalled on efforts to build a stronger Michigan.”
House Democrats, he said, “are focused on putting a stop to the foreclosure crisis that is devastating our communities. We are committed to working out a plan for Cobo Hall to ensure the auto show stays in Detroit; developing a light -rail system for Detroit that will increase investment and spur economic growth; and enacting corrections reforms that will significantly reduce the cost burden on our taxpayers. House Democrats are fighting every day to get our economy back on track and create more good-paying jobs for our workers. Michigan has many obstacles to overcome right now. Our Legislature doesn’t have the luxury of focusing on one issue at a time.”
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