State Cuts: Governor Makes More Vetoes, Debate To Continue

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

Governor Granholm has signed the last of the bills that make up the state budget. In total, the governor struck out what may be a record number of 72 line items totaling $127 million dollars.

Robert Emerson, Granholm's budget director says the fight over revenue to restore some cuts made by the Legislature and by the governor is not over. 

"All of the things that have been done so far are numbers on a piece of paper," he says. "They really have not had much effect on local units of government - the revenue sharing cut has not had any impact local units of government. The cuts made to schools, the impact of those will be felt for a month or two."

Emerson taped an appearance today on public television's "Off the Record." 

School funding is the next big fight. The Legislature has until late November to come up with more money for K-through-12 education, or schools will face cuts of almost $300 dollars per student.

The biggest cuts by the governor are to the Department of Human Services.

There are no vetoes in the higher education budget, and Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Stations have both been spared. But Granholm has vetoed $7.1 million dollars in the state budget to subsidize the Michigan State Fair.