With budget negotiations in Lansing going down to the wire and a partial state government shutdown looming, people might be getting a real-life lesson soon on how much their lives interact with state government.
With barely a week to wrap up a budget deal, the state is still not sharing plans to manage a shutdown. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has said she remains confident a deal can be reached before October 1, when the state’s new fiscal year begins. If a deal is not reached, everything from liquor sales to human services could be affected.
“My first hope is that our legislative leaders and the governor are able to come together and create a good budget by the deadline so that we do avoid a shutdown,” said Rachel Richards with the Michigan League for Public Policy, a human services advocacy group. “Now, that’s the hope that a lot of folks are having right now.”
A budget shutdown would require the Whitmer administration to prioritize the most urgent services and employees deemed essential, versus others who could be idled. That list would likely grow over days or weeks if a shutdown lingered without a budget deal.
State employee unions have expressed frustration that the Whitmer administration has not shared its plans or sent notices to workers who might be laid off.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office has not responded to requests for information on branch office services for drivers and vehicle owners. Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office has not answered questions regarding how a shutdown might affect its operations, including court cases and investigations.
K-12 school districts are already three months into their fiscal years not knowing what the School Aid budget will be and might need to take out loans to make it through a shutdown. Public universities and some community colleges also have fiscal years that began July 1 without a state higher education budget.
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