After a budget impasse in 2019 between Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the GOP-controlled Legislature that almost resulted in a partial state government shutdown, both sides agreed to get budgets wrapped earlier in the future.
Whitmer signed legislation setting a July 1 target date to present budgets to the governor — three months before the start of the next fiscal year on Oct. 1. But there were no penalties included for failing to do so. Last year, leaders agreed to delay the July 1 deadline in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the budget was signed before Oct. 1.
This year, Michigan missed the July 1 deadline again to complete next year’s budget.
And so on Friday, State Budget Director Dave Massaron sent an email to all department heads to prepare for a possible government shutdown, which the Advance obtained. Then-Budget Director Chris Kolb did the same thing in 2019.
“We are closing in on the month of September and we are without a signed budget for fiscal year 2022. Because the new fiscal year is just over five weeks away, we must begin contingency planning in the event we do not have a signed budget by midnight on September 30. While we remain optimistic and hopeful that we will reach a budget agreement with the Legislature prior to October 1, we must be prepared if that does not happen,” Massaron wrote.
He asked for department directors to submit information on functions and employees so that officials can “determine those functions within your department that would be continued and those that would be temporarily discontinued in the event of a government shutdown … to protect public health and safety.”
So how did we get here?
Whitmer and GOP leaders did strike an agreement this spring to negotiate the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget — but did not commit to spending details — and COVID-19 orders. This came after a tumultuous year of Republican leaders fighting against her health orders and proposing big cuts to departments.
On June 30, the Senate passed a $17 billion School Aid budget, which Whitmer signed, so that part is done.
However, the Legislature blew past July 1 without passing a final budget for most state departments — which includes funding for local governments, state police, environmental programs and more and is expected to top $40 billion. The Legislature has not had many session days this summer, but negotiations have taken place between Massaron, House Appropriations Chair Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) and Senate Appropriations Chair Jim Stamas (R-Midland).
Michigan had two partial government shutdowns in 2007 and 2009 during the last divided government era. However, the primary issue then was the state was short on funds during the Great Recession.
That’s not the case for FY 2022, as the state has billions in unspent federal stimulus cash, something noted by Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat.
“The work that goes into a state department having to plan for a govt shutdown is expensive and diverts important resources from other projects. In a year when Michigan is flush with billions of additional dollars in the treasury, this is an unnecessary and ridiculous exercise,” said Nessel in a tweet on Saturday. “It is an abdication of duty for the legislature not to-minimally-appropriate the same funding from last year’s budget & then decide where the additional stimulus dollars will go in order to avert a shutdown of of state govt. This is not a game. Time to put people over politics.”
Originally published on August 29, 2021 on Michigan Advance. It is republished here with permission.
