Michigan House Panel Blocks $645 Million in Work-Project Funding Without Public Testimony

Overview

• The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee voted Dec. 10 to disapprove continued funding for work projects without discussion or advance disclosure of the affected items.
• Of the halted $645 million, $351 million will lapse back to the General Fund, with the fate of $245 million in restricted or private funds and $48 million in federal funds not yet clear.
• Blocked items cited by lawmakers include $18.5 million to expand Rx Kids, $102 million in community enhancement grants, $63 million for roadway and infrastructure grants, and $50 million for indigent defense grants.
• Democrats denounced the action as an abuse of power and demanded details on specific cuts, with Rep. Will Snyder vowing legislation to require both chambers’ approval to block continued funding.
• House Speaker Matt Hall defended the disapprovals as curbing waste and said projects could return through the HEAT review or a supplemental next year, pointing to umbrella funds that bundled contested items with widely supported ones such as Hemlock Semiconductor.