2008 Senate Bill 1094: Appropriations: 2008-2009 Department of Community Health budget

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Public Act 246 of 2008

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Introduced by Sen. Roger Kahn (R) on February 13, 2008, to provide the “template” or “place holder” for a Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Department of Community Health budget. This bill contains no appropriations, but may be amended at a later date to include them.
- Referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee on February 13, 2008.
  - Reported in the Senate on March 25, 2008, with the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
- Substitute offered in the Senate on March 25, 2008, to adopt a version of this budget that expresses the fiscal and policy preferences of the Republican-majority in the Senate on various spending items and programs. See Senate-passed version for more, and for details see the Senate Fiscal Agency analysis (link available through the “Text and Analysis” tab at the top of this bill’s MichiganVotes page). The substitute passed by voice vote in the Senate on March 25, 2008.
- Amendment offered by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D) on March 25, 2008, to add $310,000 for certain senior citizen home health programs. The amendment failed 18 to 20 in the Senate on March 25, 2008.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
- Amendment offered by Sen. Irma Clark-Coleman (D) on March 25, 2008, to add $3.2 million for low income youth dental programs in Wayne County. The amendment failed 17 to 21 in the Senate on March 25, 2008.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
- Amendment offered by Sen. Liz Brater (D) on March 25, 2008, to add $2.2 million for "mental health courts" proposed by Gov. Granholm, which allow a criminal prosecution to be stayed if the defendent agrees to a prescribed mental health treatment program, and the charges to be dropped if he or she abides by the agreement. The amendment failed 18 to 20 in the Senate on March 25, 2008.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
- Amendment offered by Sen. Deborah Cherry (D) on March 25, 2008, to add $900,000 for "minority health grants and contracts, add $1.6 million for certain immunizaton programs, add $3.7 million for government smoking prevention programs, and add more money for various similar programs. The amendment would also break out and increase various spending items assembled under the "healthy Michigan fund" rubric from a single line item into separate line items for the various components. The amendment failed 18 to 20 in the Senate on March 25, 2008.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
- Amendment offered by Sen. Deborah Cherry (D) on March 25, 2008, to add $28.1 million to the $139.7 million appropriated for "adult home health services" and add $4.4 million to senior "all health" services,. The amendment failed 18 to 20 in the Senate on March 25, 2008.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
- Amendment offered by Sen. Deborah Cherry (D) on March 25, 2008, to add $36.6 million for Medicaid health plan services. The amendment failed 18 to 20 in the Senate on March 25, 2008.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
- Amendment offered by Sen. Martha G. Scott (D) on March 25, 2008, add $9.5 million for low income youth dental programs in Wayne County. The amendment failed 18 to 20 in the Senate on March 25, 2008.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
- Amendment offered by Sen. Martha G. Scott (D) on March 25, 2008, to add $733,000 for government-funded programs to reduce sexually transmitted diseases. The amendment failed 17 to 21 in the Senate on March 25, 2008.
  Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Passed 20 to 18 in the Senate on March 25, 2008, the Senate version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008-2009 Department of Community Health budget. (Gov. Granholm’s recommendation for this budget is contained in Senate Bill 1141). This would appropriate $12.482 billion in gross spending, compared to $12.048 billion, which was the FY 2007-2008 amount enrolled in 2007. Of this, $7.159 billion is federal money, compared to the FY 2007-2008 amount of $6.708 billion, and $5.323 billion is from state tax and other revenues, compared to $5.300 billion enrolled the previous year. Among other things, the budget does not include Gov. Granholm's proposal for "mental health courts," and would eliminate Medicaid coverage for 19- and 20-year-olds living in low income households.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Received in the House on April 8, 2008.
- Referred to the House Appropriations Committee on April 8, 2008.
  - Reported in the House on June 5, 2008, with the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
- Substitute offered in the House on June 5, 2008, to replace the Senate version of this budget with one that expresses the preferences of the House majority on various spending items and funding sources. For more see details see the analysis from the non-partisan House Fiscal Agency. The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on June 5, 2008.
- Amendment offered by Rep. Judy Emmons (R) on June 5, 2008, to divert some low-income dental care for minors program money from Muskegon to Montcalm County, and reduce the amount of spending earmarked for this. The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on June 5, 2008.
- Amendment offered by Rep. Arlan Meekhof (R) on June 5, 2008, to increase spending on a state network of cord blood stem cell banks. The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on June 5, 2008.
- Amendment offered by Rep. Bruce Caswell (R) on June 5, 2008, to require the DCH to post a user-friendly website showing all its expenditures and the purpose of each. The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on June 5, 2008.
- Amendment offered by Rep. Daniel Acciavatti (R) on June 5, 2008, to impose a 5 percent across-the-board cut in the amount proposed for the DCH budget, with the department to figure out which specific spending items to reduce below the previously proposed spending level to accomplish this overall reduction. The amendment failed by voice vote in the House on June 5, 2008.
Passed 60 to 47 in the House on June 5, 2008, the House version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008-2009 Department of Community Health budget. (Gov. Granholm’s recommendation for this budget is contained in Senate Bill 1141). This would appropriate $12.438 billion in gross spending, compared to $12.048 billion, which was the FY 2007-2008 amount enrolled in 2007. Of this, $7.146 billion is federal money, compared to the FY 2007-2008 amount of $6.708 billion, and $5.292 billion is from state tax and other revenues, compared to $5.300 billion the previous year. Among other things, the budget does include Gov. Granholm's proposal for pilot "mental health courts," and would not eliminate Medicaid coverage for 19- and 20-year-olds living in low income households.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Received in the Senate on June 10, 2008.
Failed 16 to 22 in the Senate on June 10, 2008, to concur with a House-passed version of the bill. The vote sends the bill to a House-Senate conference committee to work out the differences.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Received in the House on June 10, 2008.
Passed 75 to 30 in the House on June 28, 2008, the House-Senate conference report for the Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Department of Community Health budget. This would appropriate $12.533 billion in gross spending, compared to $12.048 billion, which was the FY 2007-2008 amount enrolled in 2007. Of this, $7.225 billion is federal money, compared to the FY 2007-2008 amount of $6.708 billion, and $5.323 billion is from state tax and other revenues, compared to $5.300 billion enrolled the previous year. Among other things, the budget does not fund a proposal for "mental health courts," and would not eliminate Medicaid coverage for 19- and 20-year-olds living in low income households. For budget details see Senate Fiscal Agency analysis.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Received in the Senate on June 28, 2008.
Passed 37 to 0 in the Senate on June 28, 2008, the House-Senate conference report for the Fiscal Year 2008-2009 Department of Community Health budget. This would appropriate $12.533 billion in gross spending, compared to $12.048 billion, which was the FY 2007-2008 amount enrolled in 2007. Of this, $7.225 billion is federal money, compared to the FY 2007-2008 amount of $6.708 billion, and $5.323 billion is from state tax and other revenues, compared to $5.300 billion enrolled the previous year. Among other things, the budget does not fund a proposal for "mental health courts," and would not eliminate Medicaid coverage for 19- and 20-year-olds living in low income households.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on July 17, 2008.

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1) "journal statement" by Admin003 on June 29, 2008
Senator Kahn asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Kahn’s statement is as follows:

This budget represents $12.5 billion worth of expenditures of which $3.1 billion is General Fund monies. Michigan has had a tough century and a lot of dollar shortfalls and this year being no exception. It is also no exception that the Department of Community Health budget has had to be cut, so the provision of services to our most vulnerable citizens, while at the same time recognizing our fiscal constraints, has been the balancing act in this budget as in many others.

Within those confines, we have been able to preserve actuarially-sound rates for our community of mental health and for our HMOs. We have found the funds to avoid making cuts in the Healthy Michigan Fund and eligibility groups; and at the same time, came up with a few dollars for some new programs and for recognition of needy workers in the state of Michigan. In so doing, we have a 1 percent wage increase for community mental health direct care workers. We have found monies to support a free medical clinic in Bay County. We found dollars to deal with sexually transmitted diseases and for a traumatic brain injury hospital project. We found a few dollars for school-based health clinics and for physicians who for years have actually paid for the privilege for seeing Medicaid patients as they are reimbursed below cost and will be receiving a small increase which we hope will encourage them to continue to participate in Medicaid and approved access to care.

Those findings were achieved in a bipartisan fashion with the help of my vice chairs, Senator Pappageorge and Senator Cherry, both of whom I thank along with Senate Fiscal and my staff Stephanie Shooks. I urge the passage of this bill, which was reported unanimously from the conference committee.

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2) "no vote explanation" by Admin003 on June 9, 2008
Rep. Schuitmaker, having reserved the right to explain her protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:

“Mr. Speaker and members of the House:

While I support many programs in this budget, as a whole it has severe problems that need correcting. I cannot ignore the lack of reforms and new structural deficits this bill creates.

The FY 2008-2009 budget is dependent on the Democrats’ $1.4 billion tax hike as well as several one-time funding gimmicks. If we allow spending to go unchecked, we will have to raise taxes again in the near future.

The director of the non-partisan House Fiscal Agency has said we cannot afford the spending. The House Democrat budget is even higher than what the governor proposed. I refuse to support spending we cannot afford, especially since doing so will set the stage for another tax hike.

Not enough was done last year to cut waste and reform government, and as a result taxes went up. If we want to fix governor’s proposed level of our economy, we need to get our spending problem under control. This budget does not do that.

For these reasons, I cannot support this bill at this time.”

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3) "no vote explanation" by Admin003 on June 9, 2008
Rep. Caswell, having reserved the right to explain his protest against the passage of the bill, made the following statement:

“Mr. Speaker and members of the House:

This bill spends $30 million more than the Governor in GF. We can’t afford it unless we have another tax increase.”

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