LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signed a mid-year budget bill Friday that provides nearly $330 million in spending, mostly for road maintenance and projects.
Calley said a comprehensive road funding fix is still needed, but this money will address potholes and other problems brought on by the harsh winter.
More than half of the road funding is to speed up shovel-ready road project, while another $100 million will make sure road agencies struggling with the costs of plowing and salt can still pay for summer work such as pothole repairs, mowing and trash cleanup.
The budget also accounts for the loss of savings from the delayed expansion of Medicaid and sets aside money to fill a health insurance claims tax shortfall if no other solution is found by October.
Calley, who signed the bill because Gov. Rick Snyder is outside the state, said the law also will ensure more than 52,000 residents continue receiving mental health services.
“Caring for Michiganders with mental health and developmental disabilities is something we believe in and have made great progress on over the past three years. I am pleased we’ll continue to support the services that they receive,” he said in a statement.
The law also includes money for home heating assistance, flooding disaster relief and to help municipalities clean up from December’s ice storm.
Other highlights include:
- $7.2 million for improvements at National Guard armories across the state.
- Nearly $3.4 million to restore half of the state funding for the Hutzel Women’s Hospital in Detroit, which delivers more at-risk babies than any other hospital in Michigan.
- $170,000 for Snyder’s new Office for New Americans, which he created last month to attract immigrants to the state.
Calley said he looks forward to reaching a consensus with legislators on filling a $114 million budget hole, which happened because a tax on claims paid by insurers and HMOs isn’t generating as much as expected. The administration also is hoping to continue pressing legislators for $2 million in operating costs for the Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority.
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