LANSING – Action on the business tax cut and high-tech job creation plan will not come up for action in the House until Wednesday because bill substitutes are still being worked on at the Legislative Service Bureau.
House Speaker Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) spokesperson Matt Resch said the proposal still could be completed before the start of the firearm deer-hunting season (which starts on Tuesday, November 15), although Senate leaders had hoped the House would work on the bills Tuesday and be ready for Senate action on Wednesday, leaving Thursday open for further finalization of the legislation before it is sent to the governor.
The delay in drafting the bills coupled with the fact that some House Republicans oppose the agreement reached Friday, could also strain the timetable on passing any legislation.
Rep. Leon Drolet (R-Clinton Twp.) said Monday he had talked with the speaker over the weekend and with other representatives today to figure out proposed amendments.
Drolet had called the plan “paltry” after it was announced in a joint press conference between Governor Jennifer Granholm, Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema (R-Wyoming) and DeRoche.
“We can’t wait until 2009,” Drolet said of the tax cuts. “I think the voters should be angry at Granholm and Sikkema. This should not be the end or they should be angry at us.”
Drolet said the House Republican caucus would meet in length on Tuesday to discuss the contentious items. He did not say how or who would present the amendments.
“This whole thing in my mind is still in flux,” he said Monday. “Anything is possible at this point.”
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