2008 Senate Bill 1111: Appropriations: Supplemental budget

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Public Act 279 of 2008

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Introduced by Sen. Ron Jelinek (R) on February 13, 2008, to provide a template or "place holder" for a potential supplemental multidepartment appropriation for Fiscal Year 2008-2009.
- Referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee on February 13, 2008.
  - Reported in the Senate on September 18, 2008, with the recommendation that the substitute (S-4) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
- Substitute offered in the Senate on September 18, 2008, to add actual appropriations to the previous "shell" bill introduced as a placeholder.
Passed 30 to 6 in the Senate on September 18, 2008, to adopt a Fiscal Year 2007-2008 supplemental appropriations bill that shifts the source of previously appropriated funds between federal, state restricted and state general fund dollars. The bill also adds funding for various items including $4.5 million for the Detroit Zoo, $21.5 million for increased state employee health insurance charges, $2.5 million in federal money to implement “Real ID Act” mandates, a $415,000 grant to five hunting ranches, $450,000 for a new State Police post building in Hart, and more.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Received in the House on September 18, 2008.
- Referred to the House Appropriations Committee on September 18, 2008.
  - Reported in the House on September 24, 2008, with the recommendation that the substitute (H-3) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
- Substitute offered in the House on September 24, 2008, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that authorizes dozens of additonal earmarks and spending items not included in the Senate version, including $615 million in authorizations for state government, university and community college construction projects. This version does not include $21.5 million for increased state employee health insurance charges, reportedly required under new federal rules. The substitute passed by voice vote in the House on September 24, 2008.
- Amendment offered by Rep. Steve Tobocman (D) on September 24, 2008, to remove $615 million in authorizations for state government, university and community college construction projects, which were placed instead in Senate Bill 511. The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on September 24, 2008.
- Amendment offered by Rep. Steve Tobocman (D) on September 24, 2008. The amendment passed by voice vote in the House on September 24, 2008.
Passed 61 to 40 in the House on September 24, 2008, to adopt a Fiscal Year 2007-2008 supplemental appropriations bill that shifts the source of previously appropriated funds between federal, state restricted and state general fund dollars. The bill also adds funding for various items including $4.5 million for the Detroit Zoo, $2.5 million in federal money to implement “Real ID Act” mandates, a $200,000 grant to five hunting ranches, $450,000 for a new State Police post building in Hart, and more. The House authorizes $47.4 million for some 30 earmarks, among them $10 million for the Detroit Institute of Arts, $2 million for the Grand Rapids Art Museum, $5 million for a government “21st century libraries” program, $4 million for “Regional Intergovernmental Centers,” and more.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Received in the Senate on September 25, 2008.
- Amendment offered by Sen. Ron Jelinek (R) on September 25, 2008, to add back $215,000 for a grant to five hunting ranches, remove the $47.4 million for some 30 earmarks added by the House, and make other revisions and fund shifts. The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on September 25, 2008.
- Amendment offered by Sen. Samuel B. Thomas, III (D) on September 25, 2008, to add back $27.7 million of the spending earmarks, including $10 million for the Detroit Institute of Arts, $2 million for the Grand Rapids Art Museum, $2.7 million for an Arab American national museum, $1.8 million for the Henry Ford museum, $3.7 million for two local amphitheatres, and more. The amendment failed by voice vote in the Senate on September 25, 2008.
Passed 33 to 4 in the Senate on September 25, 2008, to adopt a Fiscal Year 2007-2008 supplemental appropriations bill that shifts the source of previously appropriated funds between federal, state restricted and state general fund dollars. The bill mostly mirrors the version passed by the Senate on Sept. 18, and does not include the earmarks added by the House on Sept. 24.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Received in the House on September 25, 2008, to concur with the Senate-passed version of the bill, which mostly mirrors the version passed by the Senate on Sept. 18, and does not include the earmarks added by the House on Sept. 24. Passed 84 to 17 in the House on September 25, 2008.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on September 29, 2008.

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1) "journal statement" by Admin003 on September 19, 2008
Senator Cassis’ statement is as follows:

First and foremost, there are some good and some not so good features of this supplemental, in my opinion. Some of the good things include implementation of the Great Lakes water compact and the implementation of the Real ID situation, but others in here really concern me because I think they are earmarks. I think that every time the General Fund is inflated due to earmarks, we are spending too much. Some of these earmarks are adding almost $500,000 for new Michigan State Police post in Hart and providing $415,000 for five hunting ranches struck by pseudorabies in pigs. Unfortunately, I guess these are pigs without any lipstick. That is my attempt to be funny, I don’t know. That is the first time I got a laugh out of this body, and I am glad to see that.

In any event, while I have supported the Detroit Zoo, I feel that another expenditure from the General Fund is just more than our state at this point can comfortably handle. These are the reasons why at this time I feel it necessary to vote “no.”
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2) "journal statement" by Admin003 on September 19, 2008
Senator George’s statement is as follows:

There is one provision in the supplemental budget bill that troubles me, and for that reason, I am going to be voting “no” on the bill. It is the provision that awards a special grant to one of our cultural institutions, and I mention this because as chair of the History, Arts, and Libraries Subcommittee, I have worked hard with my subcommittee colleagues to make sure that the process is fair and competitive.

There are hundreds of arts groups that apply for funding every year. The department recently released the recipients for the coming year and I think there are about 250. They come from all over the state, and most of them are struggling. To take a large chunk of money and to award it to a single cultural institution and bypass the normal process, I think, undermines what the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs has attempted to do—that is, to have a fair and juried process.

There are arts organizations all around the state; the list is available from the History, Arts, and Libraries Department. There are over fifty-one, for example, in Wayne County. They are sharing a total of about $8 million this year, and that is down from about $30 million several years ago. Now to take $4.5 million and pick one winner, one institution, and bypass the process, I think, is patently unfair to all the others. By doing this, this one group avoids the application fee, the oversight, the reporting mechanism, and they have avoided the competitive process. It sends a bad message to the groups that are following the legitimate pathway and are patiently waiting in line for their funding. For this reason, I will be voting “no” on this measure.
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3) 2008 Senate Bill 1111 (Appropriations: Supplemental budget ) by admin on January 1, 2001
Introduced in the Senate on February 13, 2008, to adopt a Fiscal Year 2007-2008 supplemental appropriations bill that shifts the source of previously appropriated funds between federal, state restricted and state general fund dollars. The bill also adds funding for various items including $4.5 million for the Detroit Zoo, $21.5 million for increased state employee health insurance charges, $2.5 million in federal money to implement “Real ID Act” mandates, a $415,000 grant to five hunting ranches, $450,000 for a new State Police post building in Hart, and more

The vote was 30 in favor, 6 opposed and 2 not voting

(Senate Roll Call 549 at Senate Journal 77)

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