LANSING ? Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop (R-Rochester) said the first task of the Michigan legislature is to enact a continuation budget to make sure the state government doesn’t shut down on Oct. 1, but that budget can not be connected to a bill proposed by Democrats to increase the state income tax.
Bishop?s statement Tuesday before reporters directly challenges the position of Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who has pledged to veto a continuation budget without a budget agreement that covers taxes, spending cuts and reforms ? meaning this political game of brinksmanship, or which side will blink first, drags on.
Even if a budget agreement is reached, a continuation budget is required to avert a shutdown of some government services when the fiscal year begins October 1.
Bishop said he is trying to ensure that there is no such connection and that there is no need to have a conference committee meet until there are parameters set on what it would act on. The House put HB 5194 – seen as the vehicle bill to determine if there will be an agreement on a tax increase – into conference on Sunday night shortly after the Senate returned it to that chamber. The House has named its conferees; the Senate has not. No conference committee meeting can be called until the Senate does name conferees.
Bishop said a conference committee has to have direction. He did say there has been progress in meetings with Granholm and House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.) although he said the two do not have a unified strategy.
He also said it is critical that a continuation budget be passed. He added that a second continuation budget may be needed if final decisions are not reached by October 30.
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