Lawmakers miss session, face looming Wednesday deadline

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Despite canceling sessions Sunday and not scheduling a meeting today, Michigan lawmakers said they still believe it is possible to pass next year’s budget by Wednesday’s midnight deadline.

However, the Senate on Friday passed a continuation bill that would avoid a state government shutdown and give lawmakers until Oct. 31 to balance the state’s $40 billion budget if that doesn’t happen.

Their goal is to eliminate a $2.7 billion budget deficit.

The continuation budget would carry 2009 spending levels through the end of October, with some small cuts to avoid deepening the existing deficit, said state Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, who opposes the bill.

The House would have to pass the continuation bill before Thursday, but legislators said they still hope to reach a budget agreement by Oct. 1, so the bill is not needed.

“(The) continuation budget is a mistake; we have to sit down and balance the budget,” Jones said. “I hope it’s not even put up for a vote.”

The fate of the Michigan Promise Scholarship remains unknown after a joint House and Senate higher education committee voted Wednesday to eliminate the scholarship, and a House Appropriations Committee passed a bill Thursday to reinstate it using as-yet-unidentified funding.

Budget bills must be approved by conference committees before going to the full House or Senate for a vote. Both bills are awaiting votes by the full House and Senate.

Legislators cited the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, which began Sunday at sundown, as a reason for taking time off.

“It was difficult because some people could come in, but only for a short period of time,” said Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, who supported the cancellation.

The House and Senate are scheduled to resume at 10 a.m. Tuesday, leaving only 14 hours to reach a budget agreement or approve an extension.

But some legislators said there wasn’t much work they could have done in session until conference committees submit their bills for voting.

“If we don’t have an agreement in the conference report, there’s no particular reason for the Senate to meet,” said Sen. Jason Allen, R-Traverse City.

Five conference committees still were scheduled to meet Sunday and two of them — the committees for the departments of corrections and education — submitted budgets Sunday for vote.

Megan Brown, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, said the Michigan government is focused on passing a budget before the new fiscal year and refused further comment.

But some lawmakers said they worry there might not be enough time after the two-day adjournment.

“I would have liked to have been in session,” Jones said. “I’m very worried … the clock is ticking.”

Although representatives said they only will vote on the continuation bill if a budget can’t be passed by Oct. 1, MSU assistant political science professor Matt Grossmann said it is an indicator that legislators are unsure if the budget will pass.

“Whether the House and Senate themselves are in session is obviously a sign of how much progress is being made,” he said.

State Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Lansing, said in an e-mail she disagrees with the cancellation and that it is a shame legislators are pushing the budget deadline to the last minute.

“If the stakes weren’t so high it might be humorous,” she said. “But since we are literally talking about our safety, education and health, it’s just devastating.”

Staff writer Abby Lubbers contributed to this report.

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