Michigan Lawmakers Pass $82B Budget Plan with Record Spending and Pork Projects

Michigan lawmakers are set to approve an $81.7 billion budget plan for 2024, utilizing a record surplus to address infrastructure needs, improve state parks, build low-income housing, and combat learning loss in K-12 students. The plan includes targeted and across-the-board tax cuts, as well as new supplemental spending for the current fiscal year. This is the first state budget developed under full Democratic control in 40 years, with Republicans expressing concerns about the size of the budget and its allocation. The budget also includes funding for school meals, grants for community enhancement and public safety, housing grants, transportation, and deposits into reserve funds. Governor Gretchen Whitmer's tax plan, which includes reductions in retirement income taxes and an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit, was also approved.