Legislative staffers say this week could see the creation of the first sets of appropriations bills needed to set the state’s budget. Gov. Rick Snyder unveiled his own proposals in February, and much of the budget work so far has relied on committee hearings and meetings among House and Senate leaders and the governor.

“We need to get moving, and that’s why we’re going to start moving budgets this week,” said Ari Adler, spokesman for House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall.

The governor’s proposals have been controversial in the weeks since their unveiling. Labor unions, student groups and the like have taken to the Capitol lawn to protest proposals they deem antithetical to curing Michigan’s budget ails.

News reports also have highlighted disagreements between the Legislature’s Republican majority and Snyder on issues such as the governor’s proposal to tax pensions.

When it comes down to it, though, it is easy to examine contrasts between the highly publicized outcries and the seeming lack of action by the Legislature on the budget proposals, said Bill Ballenger, editor and publisher of political newsletter Inside Michigan Politics.

“The action has been on things like item pricing repeal and emergency financial managers and Pure Michigan,” Ballenger said, referencing bills both controversial and otherwise recently signed by Snyder. “Those are things that aren’t really connected to the budget much.”

The coming weeks will be telling, Ballenger said, because impending meetings and negotiations will reveal the extent to which Snyder’s proposals will be accepted by the Legislature. The push back by Republican leaders on some of Snyder’s proposals is somewhat indicative of what’s ahead.

“The bottom line is they’ve got to start moving bills through the process one way or another and try to get it done and try to get it done relatively early,” Ballenger said, adding he and others feel the May 31 deadline likely will not be met.

Across the aisle, Democrats in the minority will work this week and beyond to hold town hall meetings across the state to help people understand how they might be impacted by Snyder’s budget proposals, said Katie Carey, spokeswoman for Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, D-East Lansing.

Meetings are scheduled this week for Detroit and Kalamazoo, among other places, and one is scheduled for East Lansing on April 20 at Donley Elementary School, 2961 Lake Lansing Road.

Apart from said meetings, Carey said Whitmer plans to focus on issues related to K-12 education, including what the senator has called an effort to divert money from the state’s School Aid Fund to corporate tax breaks.

“We’re going to be focused on the budget and we’re looking forward to getting back to work,” Carey said.