Senate Democrats pushed through a vehicle bill Thursday in line with the governor's proposal for diverting money from the state's contribution to the other post-employment benefits portion of the teacher retirement fund as negotiations on an education budget continue.
The House and Senate Appropriations Committee s on Wednesday held separate meetings considering a legislative transfer of $250 million for a manufacturing megasite being planned in Genesee County.
A Senate Republican voiced opposition to budget proposals offered recently by an education coalition dealing with other post-employment benefits, saying he believed it would raise state costs and cause a reduction in the amount going into the state's retirement system for educators.
A significant divide remains between Senate Democrats and Republicans even as the chamber passed its budget bills Wednesday, with the majority calling their proposals a well-rounded set of priorities while the minority decried what they called excessive, unsustainable spending.
Members of the Senate took a step toward the creation of a sales and use tax exemption for enterprise data centers Thursday through a bipartisan vote on an amended bill to establish the proposed credit.
More than two dozen Republican floor amendments were rejected Thursday by the Senate Democratic majority as it began wading through budget bills, passing nine of its 15 budgets.
The partisan gulf over ongoing college campus protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict and university diversity, equity and inclusion programs led to a sharply worded, angry floor debate Thursday prior to Senate passage of its higher education budget.
Some bipartisan effort highlighted business Thursday in the Senate as it began the process of moving their slate of appropriations bills, with members of both parties acknowledging work on an amendment to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development budget.
The Senate voted Wednesday along party lines for legislation that would require renewable energy projects without state funding to pay the prevailing wage over objections from Republicans who said the changes were a slippery slope in expanding the prevailing wage beyond public projects.
Senate Republicans introduced an economic package that would restore Michigan's right to work law and cut state regulations, moves the caucus said would help spur growth and prosperity and reverse what they called damaging policy decisions passed under the current Democratic majority.