Gretchen Whitmer asked Michigan lawmakers to approve $300 million in state spending to fight the coronavirus into 2021, including money to support the broad-based distribution of pending vaccines. State budget director Chris Kolb said it should be split in half between families and small businesses. The funding also would help expand the health care system's capacity to distribute vaccines that may be available to the mass public by late spring. The state environmental agency would get $25 million to continue wastewater surveillance to detect and monitor the virus within communities. The Republicans who lead the Senate and House budget committees could not be reached to comment on the spending proposal Friday.

LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday signed a $62.7 billion state budget hours before the new fiscal year, funding a new tuition-assistance program for adults while avoiding major government cuts despite the economic downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. The plan, which had bipartisan legislative support, also includes a slight boost in aid for schools and a full or partial restoration of tourism and job-training funds that were vetoed amid an impasse a year ago and again when COVID-19 struck. The process was delayed this year due to uncertainty over the pandemic’s effect on tax revenues but eased by a $3 billion federal rescue that helped balance the current and new budgets. “It was robustly supported in a bipartisan way, which in this current political climate is quite a feat.”Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00

LANSING, Mich. Michigan's budget outlook is not as bad as was thought thanks to federal pandemic relief aid, higher consumer spending and tax payments than expected, and a quicker recovery by the manufacturing and auto industries, officials said Monday. Gretchen Whitmer's administration and legislative economists projected a combined $6.3 billion shortfall in the state's two main funds over this fiscal year and next. That means the situation is not as dire as the Democratic governor and Republican-led Legislature begin work to pass a budget to start Oct. 1. State budget director Chris Kolb estimated a hole of less than $1 billion in the combined $23 billion school aid and general funds, down from a potential $3 billion shortfall. These are large revenue losses that will require difficult decisions without additional federal aid, especially in fiscal year '22.

LANSING, Mich. Lawmakers met in Lansing Friday to discuss a massive hole in the states budget -- all due to the cost of COVID-19 and the stay-at-home orders. The School Aid Fund is down $2.2 billion, making school districts brace for big cuts. RELATED: Lawmakers warn Michigan schools to prepare for significant budget cutsChris Kolb, Michigans Budget Director, is also insisting that the federal government assist the state, but theres no guarantees any help is coming. You can watch Shawn Leys full story above. The Consensus Revenue Estimate for 2020-21 and 2021-22 can be read below.

Published: February 6, 2020, 10:38 am Updated: February 6, 2020, 11:30 am(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. Gretchen Whitmer’s fiscal year 2021 Executive Budget Recommendation was outlined on Thursday at the state Capitol. State Budget Director Chris Kolb outlines the governor’s budget recommendation during to a joint session of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Whitmer delivered her second State of the State address last week. She introduced a plan to fix Michigan roads without increasing the gas tax.

Gretchen Whitmer will hold a news conference Tuesday morning on the state budget. Governor Garlin Gilchrist and State Budget Director Chris Kolb. Whitmer avoided a state shutdown Monday night by signing the budget bills sent to her desk by the Republican-controlled Legislature. However, she used her line-item veto power and cut nearly $1 billion out of the budget. "I had to use my line-item veto to try, and clean up budgets that were a complete mess," she said.

Michigan's 48,000 state government workers have been notified of potential temporary layoffs in case the next budget is not enacted before Oct. 1. About 30,000, or 62%, of state workers would be temporarily laid off. The rest would be deemed as essential to protecting the health and safety of residents and continue working. They include prison guards, state troopers, child protective services caseworkers and others. The Republican-led Legislature has started approving spending bills, though there is no deal with Democratic Gov.