Advocacy News – May 9, 2024
What’s new: This week, the Michigan House of Representatives passed their version of the state’s fiscal year (FY) 2025 budgets along party lines. The Michigan Senate is expected to take up their take on the state budget as soon as this week.
What’s next: Once the Senate passes their version, the two chambers will meet at a conference committee in which they discuss each individual budget and what policies and programs should be funded in the final version of the FY 25 budget. Although the Michigan Legislature is not statutorily required to have a budget signed into law until October, it is expected that the FY 25 budget could be done by July 1, giving legislators time to start hitting the campaign trail ahead of the November elections.
Our thought bubble: The Michigan Chamber was encouraged to see historic ongoing funding for Michigan’s GoingPro program. The GoingPro program allows employers reimbursement from the state for upskilling or reskilling their employees. With an ever-changing, technologically advancing workforce, Michigan workers need to be ready to meet the demands of the future, which is what the Going Pro program works to address. An increasingly popular program, the FY 24 budget funded the GoingPro program at $55 million on-going funding and $10 million one-time funding. The Michigan Chamber is hoping to see the additional $15 million in one-time funding transition to on-going.
Other budget news:
- The Trash Tax: Another important budget update for Michigan Chamber members is the lack of action on the Governor’s proposed trash tax, or “tipping fee” increase. Earlier this year, Governor Whitmer suggested an increase in the state’s trash tax from $0.36 per ton to $5, over a 1,000% increase. The Michigan Chamber strongly opposed this move as it would be incredibly costly for many businesses with large amounts of low hazard waste as well as Michigan’s school districts. Thankfully, the Michigan House continued to reject the governor’s proposed increase, and the House version of the budget passed without its inclusion.
For questions or more information, please contact Leah Robinson at LRobinson@michamber.com.