Michigan lawmakers, governor announce deal to spend $4.8 billion | Health and fitness

Lansing, Michigan (AP) – Michigan lawmakers late Wednesday unveiled a massive $4.8 billion mid-year spending plan that will modernize long-neglected infrastructure including water pipes, dams, roads and parks. the public.

The legislation is the product of months of negotiations between the Republican-controlled legislature and the administration of Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer over how to spend the billions in discretionary pandemic funding enacted by Congress and President Joe Biden last year. The governor will sign bills that lawmakers plan to approve Thursday, after an initial unanimous vote by the House Budget Committee Wednesday night.

The measures contain more than $1.7 billion to provide safe, clean water — to replace lead pipes, repair sewage systems and combat the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to a one-page summary submitted by the House of Representatives. There is $300 million for dam safety, including $250 million for disaster relief and repairs following the failure of dams that led to the Midland region floods in 2020.

The plan has more than $380 million to repair roads, bridges and pumping stations to prevent flooding on highways. $250 million to improve parks and recreation areas; $200 million for local parks; $250 million to expand broadband access; and $100 million to expand access to affordable housing.

Other big items include an additional $500 million for rent and mortgage assistance, $322 million in COVID-19-related spending, and $140 million to stabilize the unemployment benefits fund and improve the performance of the state agency that disburses aid.

Whitmer said a major bipartisan supplementary budget bill, which is much larger than typical fiscal mid-year spending measures totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, would help the economy grow amid “tough times.”

“Today we proved once again that here in Michigan, we get things done together,” she said in a statement.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Stamas, a Midland Republican, described the investments as “transformational.” Representative Thomas Albert, a Lowell Republican who leads the House Appropriations Committee, said the one-time resources are “unprecedented opportunities to make massive improvements to the structural foundation of Michigan communities for decades to come.”

Of the $4.8 billion, $4.2 billion is federal — including $2 billion in flexible funds earmarked for the state under a law Biden signed a year ago to speed recovery from the pandemic and about $1 billion from the infrastructure law he signed in November. Once the legislation is signed, Mary Ann Cleary, director of the House Public Finance Agency, said Michigan will have $2.8 billion left of the $6.5 billion in federal discretionary funding allocated to it.

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