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Headlines : Michigan
Using surplus to add 1,000 cops questioned
Gov. Rick Snyder and legislative leaders cautioned against additional spending that might not be sustainable.
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Headlines : Michigan
New figures affirm $1.2B state surplus
House estimates mesh with earlier Senate projections.
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Headlines : Michigan
State budget talks already underway in Lansing
State Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville said he expects the budget process to be smoother this year because Governor Rick Snyder and the Legislature have adopted a planning budget for the coming fiscal year.
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Headlines : Michigan
Michigan officials caution against budget plans
Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's administration said Tuesday it's too early to start making plans to spend what appears to be Michigan's budget surplus from the recently completed fiscal year.
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Headlines : California, Kentucky, New Hampshire , Texas, Michigan, Indiana, Montana, Nevada
Public workers pay to add work time, costing state pensions
In 21 states, certian public employees can increase their pensions by buying credit for extra years, even though they did not work in those years.
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Gov. Rick Snyder
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, MI 48909
Phone: (517) 373-3400
Fax: (517) 335-6863
http://www.michigan.gov/gov
Bob Emerson, Director
Office of the Budget
111 South Capitol, 6th Floor
Lansing, MI 48913
Phone (517) 373-7560
Fax (517) 241-5428
http://www.michigan.gov/budget
2012 Legislative Calendar: Regular Session convenes January 11, meets throughout the year.
Legislative Budget Leader:
Rep. Chuck Moss (R), Chair, House Appropriations Committee, chuckmoss@house.mi.gov (517) 373-8670
Rep. Joseph Haveman (R), Vice-Chair, House Appropriations Committee, JosephHaveman@house.mi.gov (517) 373-0830
Sen. Roger Kahn (R), Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee, SenRKahn@senate.michigan.gov (517) 373-1760
Sen. John Moolenaar (R), Vice-Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee, SenJMoolenaar@senate.michigan.gov (517) 373-7946
Rep. Judson S. Gilbert II (R), Chair, House Tax Policy Committee, JudGilbert@house.mi.gov (517) 373-1790
Rep. John J. Walsh (R), Vice-Chair, House Tax Policy Committee, JohnWalsh@house.mi.gov (517) 373-3920
Sen. Jack Brandenburg (R), Chair, Senate Finance Committee, SenJBrandenburg@senate.michigan.gov (517) 373-7670
Sen. Mark C. Jansen (R), Vice-Chair, Senate Finance Committee, senmjansen@senate.michigan.gov (517) 373-0797
The current state budget can be found here.
Michigan is required to pass a "balanced budget." According Article III, Section 52 of the 1867 Constitution, in the budget the governor submits, the balance for total appropriations shall not exceed the balance of total revenues. Neither the governor nor the general assembly shall cause the total appropriations to exceed total revenues. Michigan law forbids the carrying over of a deficit from one year to the next. Even with these requirements, the State reported budget deficits (negative net transactions) on the CAFR's Budgetary Comparison Schedule for each of the years reviewed.
The State maintains five governmental funds: (major) the General Fund and the Department of Transportation-Special Revenue Fund, and (non-major, which are combined for reporting purposes) the debt service fund, the debt service fund for transportation revenue bonds and the capital projects fund. Michigan budgets on a cash basis. Funds that are budgeted include: the General, Special Revenue, and Federal funds. Most, but not all funds, are budgeted.
There are no statutory requirements that govern what kinds of assumptions can be made about revenue or expenses, and so the Michigan budget may be "unbalanced" in different ways in different years. [from the Institute for Truth in Accounting]
Find the state's bond ratings here.
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Mackinac Center for Public Policy |
Unions :
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HEADLINES: Michigan
Mich. gov't plans 4 furlough days, lost positions
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's administration plans to save the state money by requiring unionized state workers to take at least four unpaid furlough days off and by introducing legislation requiring them to contribute to their defined benefit retirement plans if they want to keep them.
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HEADLINES: Michigan
Too many managers in Michigan government? Gov. Rick Snyder orders study
The state has about one manager or supervisor for every six employees, according to a Civil Service Commission work force report for the third quarter of fiscal 2011.
- View All Michigan articles
Pensions :
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HEADLINES: California, Kentucky, New Hampshire , Texas, Michigan, Indiana, Montana, Nevada
Public workers pay to add work time, costing state pensions
In 21 states, certian public employees can increase their pensions by buying credit for extra years, even though they did not work in those years.
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SOLUTIONS: Michigan
Top 10 Budget Recommendations
Converting these statistics into actual budget savings involves a combination of straightforward "eat your vegetables" cuts, and process innovations like privatization that generate savings through "second-order" incentive changes throughout the system.
- View All Michigan articles
K-12 Education :
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SOLUTIONS: Michigan
Top 10 Budget Recommendations
Converting these statistics into actual budget savings involves a combination of straightforward "eat your vegetables" cuts, and process innovations like privatization that generate savings through "second-order" incentive changes throughout the system.
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HEADLINES: Michigan
Michigan's budget could get infusion
It's possible the state brought in more revenue than previously expected for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. Surplus estimates begin at $285 million, but the numbers aren't final. And lawmakers disagree about what to do with the money.
- View All Michigan articles
Higher Education :
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Michigan
State budget director: Funding model rewards schools
The planned release of the state budget in January will create a new process for funding state higher education institutions.
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HEADLINES: Michigan
Michigan House approves school funding cuts
The Michigan House has narrowly approved legislation that would cut state funding to public schools, community colleges and universities for the budget year that begins in October.
- View All Michigan articles
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Solutions: Michigan
Top 10 Budget Recommendations
Converting these statistics into actual budget savings involves a combination of straightforward "eat your vegetables" cuts, and process innovations like privatization that generate savings through "second-order" incentive changes throughout the system.
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Solutions: Michigan
Reconsidering Michigan's Public Employment Relations Act
No area of public policy in Michigan is more in need of fresh thinking than the relationship between government and its employees. With Michigan's recurring government budget struggles, and with a new Legislature and governor espousing a commitment to performance, efficiency and accountability in government, a new labor law for government employees is imperative.
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Solutions: Michigan
Michigan’s Public-Employee Retirement Benefits: Benchmarking and Managing Benefits and Costs
This paper reviews Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System and Michigan State Employees’ Retirement System pension and retiree medical benefits and confirms many of the published concerns related to the level of benefits provided and the associated fiscal challenges facing Michigan taxpayers in both the short and long term.
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Solutions: Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Alaska, Michigan
State Budget Solutions with Bob Williams
Video of Bob Williams addressing the underfunded state pension fund problem facing so many states. He states that the public cannot afford the benefits and suggests defined contribution programs as a solution.
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Solutions: Michigan
How to Find and Eliminate Wasted State Money
Michigan needs to systematically investigate its spending to identify waste and doing so is one step in solving the state's budget crisis.
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California, Kentucky, New Hampshire , Texas, Michigan, Indiana, Montana, Nevada
Public workers pay to add work time, costing state pensions
In 21 states, certian public employees can increase their pensions by buying credit for extra years, even though they did not work in those years.
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Michigan
Top 10 Budget Recommendations
Converting these statistics into actual budget savings involves a combination of straightforward "eat your vegetables" cuts, and process innovations like privatization that generate savings through "second-order" incentive changes throughout the system.
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Michigan
Michigan's controversial pension tax survives state Supreme Court
Taxing pensions was one of the cornerstones of Gov. Rick Snyder's overhaul of the state tax system that was approved amid partisan rancor earlier this year and the Michigan Supreme Court approved that plan, but struck down the provisions that would result in raising taxes on higher income earners.
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BLOG : Illinois, Michigan, Rhode Island
A Tale of Two States: MICHIGAN vs ILLINOIS, lessons in pension reform
Michigan directly tackled its pension problem in 1997 by replacing the traditional "defined-benefit" pension plan with a 401(k)-style "defined-contribution" retirement plan for new state employees. The Michigan reforms have been immensely successful. Unfortunately, the story in Illinois is not nearly as encouraging.
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Michigan
49 state retirees collect pensions that top $100K
Michigan spent roughly $925 million on retirement costs last year, about 2 percent of the state's $45.7 billion budget, according to the Senate Fiscal Agency.
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