BY LAURA WEBER
Michigan Public Radio Network
LANSING — The Michigan Legislature met Wednesday for the first time since taking a break earlier this month. There were no votes on the state budget. But many lawmakers say budget deficit is becoming more serious with every passing week.
Republican state Senator Tom George said Michigan is headed in the direction of Illinois, which is running a deficit of several billion dollars.
“Proposals to eliminate taxes, or increase spending, put our credit at risk. Fixing our budget structural problem is now our single biggest challenge if we are to keep Michigan open for business,” said George.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop agrees that Michigan must be careful to avoid the same fate as Illinois.
“And if Illinois goes down, which it appears it the direction they’re going, they will suck a lot of other states in with them,” said Bishop. “And if we don’t get our financial house in order, and right-size this government, and streamline, and change business-as-usual in this state, we will be one of the first states to follow suit.”
Republican leaders in the Senate say they are preparing to make deeper-than-expected budget cuts in light of rollbacks to federal Medicaid funding.
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