Michigan Gov. Granholm Signs Budget Bills for Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environmental Quality

State Senate needs to meet constitutional requirement on budget

October 14, 2009 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed fiscal year 2010 appropriations bills for the departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Quality, bringing the total number of budget bills she's signed to eight.

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"Much work remains to be done on the budget," Granholm said. "The budget does not become law until I sign all of the budget bills. The Senate majority leader needs to deliver to me all the budget bills as required by the constitution.

"The Legislature also needs to provide funding for the things that matter most to Michigan citizens: police and fire protection; Medicaid for seniors, children and people with disabilities; and Promise scholarships for 96,000 college students. Those priorities are my priorities, and they need to be funded."

Department of Agriculture

The total operating budget for the Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2010 is $84.6 million, which includes $30.6 million in general fund money. The budget includes $17.7 million for food safety programs and consumer protection and $15 million for plant health health, $10.3 million for environmental protection, and $9.6 million for animal health and disease efforts.

The governor vetoed appropriations for horse racing and the Office of Racing Commissioner, because the budget bill would authorize the expenditure of casino gaming revenues to subsidize horse racing.

"I believe horse-racing programs should be self-supporting," Granholm said. "I would support restoring funding for the horse-racing grants and regulatory activities using equine development funding or other funds generated by the horse-racing industry."

Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality

The fiscal year 2010 appropriation for the departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Environmental Quality (DEQ) is $704.3 million, which includes $43.7 million in general fund money. The budget provides funding for a wide variety of environmental, recreational and conservation activities available to the public and supports essential operations of the two departments. It also includes $65 million in federal funds for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The governor vetoed:

- A negative appropriation (cost savings) realized from consolidating the DNR and DEQ as outlined in the governor's October 8 executive order. However, that order hasn't taken effect yet, and existing law mandates continued operation of two separate departments.

- $75,000 for a cormorant population mitigation program, because cormorants are migratory birds regulated and controlled by the federal government.

Source: Michigan Governor