Michigan lawmakers OK COVID-19 spending bills; budget chief concerned
Copyright Getty Images
Photo by: Bill Pugliano/ Getty Images
Posted at 6:56 AM, May 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-14 06:56:34-04
LANSING, Mich. (AP) â Michigan legislators on Thursday approved mid-year spending bills, including billions of federal coronavirus relief to boost pay for frontline government workers, incentivize unemployed people to return to work and upgrade infrastructure.
Under a $3.3 billion plan sent to the Senate by the Republican-led House on a 65-42 vote, some of the U.S. funding would go toward payroll costs and free up state dollars to pay the stateâs million Flint water crisis settlement â instead of borrowing â and partially replenish an unemployment benefits fund targeted by fraudsters. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmerâs administration questioned some elements, saying federal guidance clearly states that COVID-19 funds cannot be used to pay down debt, bolster reserves and finance legal settlements.