To provide a “template” or “place holder” for a Fiscal Year (FY) 2003-2004 Department of Environmental Quality budget. This budget contains no appropriations, but these may be added later to make changes to current or future appropriations.   Official Text and Analysis.

With the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

To replace the executive proposal for this budget, contained in House Bill 4416 , with a budget that expresses policy differences between the Republican-majority in the House and Governor Jennifer Granholm on certain spending items. See House-passed version for details.

To add $10,000 to the environmental health line item.

To increase appropriations on those line items for which state expenditures will garner greater federal matching funds.

To transfer the funding source for various environmental regulation activities from general fund dollars to new fees which have been proposed by the governor.

The House version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2003-2004 Department of Environmental Quality budget. (Note: Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s proposed budget for this department is House Bill 4418.) This appropriates $333.6 million in adjusted gross spending (funded from all sources, including state restricted fund and federal pass-through dollars, minus interdepartmental transfers), compared to $390.7 million, which was the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002, excluding any supplemental appropriations, line-item vetoes, or later cuts. Of this, $51.4 million will come from the General Fund (funded by actual state tax revenues), compared to the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002 of $69.4 million. The House version does not recognize revenue from new pollution discharge fees proposed by the governor. To make up the difference it includes cuts to general fund appropriations for departmental administration of 30 percent and 15 percent for other programs, compared to the executive budget. The House also adds funding for programs that monitor septic tanks, swimming pools and campgrounds. The administration proposed eliminating these due to inadequate funding. Much more information on Michigan’s budget is available at Hot Topics: Michigan’s Budget Challenge at www.mackinac.org/4964.

With the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

To replace the House version of this budget with a Senate version which expresses policy differences between the bodies on certain spending items. The substitute was then revised in the Committee of the Whole with a number of non-roll call amendments. Among other things these added appropriations funded by some of the revenue from new pollution discharge fees proposed by the governor, required at least $426,500 of this be used for compliance enforcement, added a requirement for the department to report to the legislature data on the amount and type of solid waste being imported into the state, and added money for Lake St. Clair pollution monitoring. See Senate-passed version for more details.

The Senate version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2003-2004 Department of Environmental Quality budget. (Note: Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s proposed budget for this department is House Bill 4418.) This appropriates $332.7 million in adjusted gross spending (funded from all sources, including state restricted fund and federal pass-through dollars, minus interdepartmental transfers), compared to $390.7 million, which was the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002, excluding any supplemental appropriations, line-item vetoes, or later cuts. Of this, $56.1 million will come from the General Fund (funded by actual state tax revenues), compared to the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002 of $69.4 million. The Senate version does recognize some – but not all - revenue from new pollution discharge fees proposed by the governor. As a result it does not include the cuts to departmental administration made by the House. The Senate concurred with House in adding funding for programs that monitor septic tanks, swimming pools and campgrounds. The administration proposed eliminating these due to inadequate funding. The Senate also added a requirement for the department to report to the legislature on the amount and type of solid waste being imported into the state. Much more information on Michigan’s budget is available at Hot Topics: Michigan’s Budget Challenge at www.mackinac.org/4964.

To concur with a Senate-passed version of the bill. The vote sends the bill to a House-Senate conference committee to work out the differences.

The House-Senate conference report for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2003-2004 Department of Environmental Quality budget. (Note: Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s proposed budget for this department is House Bill 4418.) This appropriates $332.2 million in adjusted gross spending (funded from all sources, including state restricted fund and federal pass-through dollars, minus interdepartmental transfers), compared to $390.7 million, which was the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002, excluding any supplemental appropriations, line-item vetoes, or later cuts. Of this, $56.1 million will come from the General Fund (funded by actual state tax revenues), compared to the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002 of $69.4 million. The conference report includes some – but not all – of the revenue from new pollution and wastewater discharge fees proposed by the governor, because the legislature did not raise the fees by the full amount requested by the governor. It also adds funding for programs that monitor septic tanks, swimming pools and campgrounds. The administration proposed eliminating these due to inadequate funding. Gross funding in the conference report is $2.3 million above the amount originally recommended by the governor, and General Fund spending is $3.1 million higher. Much more information on Michigan’s budget is available at Hot Topics: Michigan’s Budget Challenge at www.mackinac.org/4964.