The governor and Democratic leadership announced agreement on a plan to cut taxes Friday afternoon, but few details were provided beyond rebate checks to be sent directly to state taxpayers for a still undetermined amount of money.
House Democrats voted not to concur with the version of HB 4001 passed by the Senate on Wednesday, which cut the bill down to a shell and stripped all references to retirement income.
The head of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation told the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday that investing in the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve fund is critical for Michigan's future in the auto and clean energy industries, but Republicans questioned whether the process for distributing SOAR funds was being followed as intended.
The House's vote on a book-closing supplemental bill was delayed by a baby on Tuesday.
Budget officials said Friday the state has an estimated $9.2 billion budget surplus headed into the new fiscal year, expressing optimism about Michigan's fiscal situation while acknowledging lawmakers need to be careful in their deliberations given that a mild recession may be on the horizon.
House Speaker Joe Tate on Thursday announced committee membership for the House this term, and Republican members who bucked tradition on opening day were left with few assignments on less than stellar committees.