News Bite

Michigan’s 2024 budget will spend all but 3% of state’s $9B surplus

Whitmer has requested a record $79B budget for 2023-24

If the 2023-2024 Michigan budget passes as recommended by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the state will spend all but $250 million of its $9 billion surplus, budget director Christopher Harkins said Wednesday.

“When we make changes to our tax code, and we make sure that we reinvest in our in our people and put money back in their pockets, that’s a direct impact on our resources,” Harkins said Wednesday, answering a lawmaker’s question.

“This budget recommendation leaves about $250 million on the balance sheet, between both the general fund and the School Aid Fund, at the end of fiscal year ‘24,” Harkins added.

In a 62-page document, the governor’s budget recommendation never mentions the word “surplus” once.

Harkins spoke before the appropriations committees of the Michigan House and Senate, delivering Whitmer’s 2024 budget recommendations. Whitmer recommends a $79 billion budget, whose single biggest source of revenue is federal dollars. Federal money will account for 41% of Michigan’s 2024 budget, according to the executive summary.

The governor recommends spending the surplus now instead of increasing the upcoming year’s budget. For instance, Whitmer recommends spending $44 million more on community colleges in the upcoming fiscal year, and about $215 million on increasing current year community college spending.

James Hohman, director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center, described this as “an imprudent way to do budgeting.”

“There has been a tendency among our lawmakers to spend every dollar they have available,” Hohman told CapCon. “You shouldn’t just ratchet up spending because you’ve got money.”

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.

Washington Watch

How does your Michigan rep spend their time in Congress? Here’s how to find out

A quick user’s guide to Congress.gov and how to keep an eye on the people who represent you in Washington

Pop quiz: Who represents you in Congress? Michigan has 13 congressional districts. Which one is yours?

Find out here, on the Congress website, by entering your address.

Every Michigan resident is also represented by two senators. They are Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters.

Let’s start with someone in the House of Representatives: Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township.

Go to Congress.gov. Under the main search bar, you’ll see “bill searches and lists,” with options for the House and Senate. Since McClain is in the House, click “House.”

Scroll down to McClain’s name, and click on her profile.

Scroll down, and you’ll see a heading called “Member activity.” This is where you find out exactly what your member of Congress has been doing.

“Sponsored legislation” tells you about bills where a member has taken a lead role. “Co-sponsored legislation” is when others lead the bill, but the member lends support.

When you want to know what bills your representative or senator has been submitting, start with sponsored legislation.

Our interest today, though, is what members of Michigan’s congressional delegation are saying on the House or Senate floor. That’s what you’ll find in “Remarks in the Congressional Record.”

Click that. What you’ll see now is how your member of Congress has used the opportunity to speak.

This is a snippet of McClain’s 67 remarks in the Congressional Record. As with any member of Congress, some speeches will be salutary, honoring retirees or the dead. Others are remarks on policy. How effectively does your member of Congress use the available speaking time? That’s for you to decide.

Now that you know how to find this information, I am interested in what you find, and what you think about it.

Who represents you in Congress? How do they spend their time?

Email me at dickson@mackinac.org and let me know. Interesting information may result in a future CapCon story.

If nothing else, you will be more informed about your representation on the national stage.

Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.