Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed the final bills that make up a re-negotiated budget deal reached with Republicans in the Legislature.
State departments have been asked to look for places to cut in the new state fiscal year. The instruction to find potential cuts came from Governor Whitmer’s budget office.
Kurt Weiss with the budget office says cuts may be needed because the deal includes diverting $600 million from the state General Fund to pay for roads. His office says, over many years, revenue has not kept up with inflation.
“And so it’s just a tremendous pressure on the General Fund.”
Whitmer says she has not given up on trying to come up with more revenue in the new year to keep her marquee campaign promise to fix the state’s roads.
But GOP leaders say they’re still committed to exploring options other than increasing the fuel tax.
Governor Whitmer also signed a bill to allow tribal and Detroit casinos to offer online games. She agreed to sign them after the bills were amended, ensuring Michigan’s School Aid Fund doesn’t suffer from lost lottery revenue.
