Gov. Whitmer's Michigan budget vetoes: The 7 big cuts

LANSING – In a high-risk maneuver aimed at gaining leverage over Michigan Republican lawmakers in negotiating a new state spending plan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday issued 147 line-item vetoes totaling $947 million.

She said she made the cuts as a way of restarting budget talks because she believes the budget sent to her by the Legislature threatens public health and safety by, for example, underfunding state prisons and state cybersecurity efforts.

"This is not the end of the end of the conversation," Whitmer said Tuesday after making more aggressive use of the budget veto pen than any governor in Michigan history.

"It's just the beginning."

Here are seven sets of budget items that will disappear if Whitmer's vetoes are not reversed through a supplemental appropriation bill for the 2020 fiscal year that began Tuesday:

Road and bridge funding

Whitmer vetoed $375 million in general fund spending targeted at road and bridge repairs, including repairs on four bridges that Whitmer recently visited and highlighted as in urgent need of repairs. She said the use of general fund money for roads hurts other priorities and is no substitute for a comprehensive road funding plan.

Pure Michigan campaign

The governor axed the entire $37-million Pure Michigan tourism advertising and Michigan branding campaign. "I love Pure Michigan," and "I think it's a fantastic ad campaign," Whitmer said. However, "I'm always going to put public safety ... ahead of an ad campaign."

More: We’ll never know if millions spent on Pure Michigan actually helped state

More: Watch all the Pure Michigan commercials here

K-12 schools

Whitmer vetoed more than $128 million from the school aid budget, including $35 million in foundation allowance increases for charter schools, $16 million for career and technical education equipment, $10 million in school security funds, $1.6 million to fund "strict discipline academies," $3 million for online algebra and other math programs.

Higher education

Whitmer vetoed $38 million in higher education tuition grants for independent and private colleges and $150,000 in student services for students who are pregnant and parenting.

Health care

Whitmer vetoed more than $40 million in payments to hospitals and millions more in rate increases for pediatric psychiatrists, neonatologists, and private duty nurses. She also vetoed $1.1 million in autism funding, including funding for a Navigator program that helps connect families affected by autism with the services they need.

More:Whitmer defends budget vetoes: 'I do not relish using these powers'

Rural issues

Veto cuts included $13.1 million for secondary road patrol programs, $10 million from the Rural Jobs and Capital Investment Fund, $3 million for the Michigan Animal Agriculture Alliance, $1 million for county fairs and exhibitions, and $500,000 for the Farm Stress Program. Steven Currie, executive director of the Michigan Association of Counties, said the vetoes will cost counties about $60 million, including $27 million chopped from a program that makes payments in lieu of taxes to county governments for state-owned land.

Miscellaneous

The governor vetoed $15 million in grants to municipal airports to combat PFAS (per- and polyflouroalkyl substances), $750,000 to demolish the former Deerfield Correctional Facility in Ionia, $1 million for property tax assessor training, $4 million from the County Veteran Services Fund, $14.8 million from the County Jail Reimbursement Program, and $300,000 from a program for runaway and homeless youths.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.  Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.