MICHIGAN PROMISE UPDATE – 6/24
In each of the conversations that I’ve had the past few days with Legislative aides – I ask if people have been calling. I ask if students have been calling. Each has said there has been a lot of young people on the phones. You and your peers are being heard. Good Work! Keep it up!!
Check here for earlier blog posts on the Michigan Promise.
The Latest News on the fate of the Michigan Promise:
- Detroit News – “Senate votes to eliminate Michigan Promise”
- MSU State News – “Michigan Promise Might Not be Kept”
- Grand Rapids Press – “Confronting Michigan’s Budget Mess”
- Detroit Free Press – “Michigan can’t afford to cut college grant”
- WOOD TV News youtube – “Hard Choices for Michigan budget”
A lot of you have contacted your legislators, Well done! That is what you do when you are an active and involved citizen. The battle however is far from over. If you want to save the Michigan Promise you have a LOT OF WORK yet to do! Below I have summarized the current status of the Michigan Promise. This should clarify the job ahead.
Final Deadline – September 30, 2009
…is the very last day of the 2008-09 budget. This is when the budget for 2009-10 must by law be complete. This budget battle could go on all summer long so you need to contact your state representative and state senator and governor through out the entire process. Make sure they know that you are watching.
Michigan’s Budget Dilemma
As you know there is a huge state deficit (nearly $2 billion) due to dropping tax revenues. So the State Senate and State House have been working to cut costs to fill that void. By law state budgets must balance. Which brings us to the Michigan Promise. The Promise costs approximately $140 million. It is an obvious target for reduction.
HB-4441 starts in Michigan House of Representatives
HB-4441 is the Higher Education Appropriations bill that will determine in the end how much money is available in the 2009/10 Michigan budget for higher education. The Michigan Promise will or will not be funded from the law laid down in that bill HB 4441 began in the House. The House is controlled (67 to 43) by Democrats. In that bill which you can find here, $140 million was allocated to the Michigan Promise Scholarship to continue as it has in the past.
HB-4441 moves over to the Michigan Senate
HB-4441 then moved to the Senate. The Senate is controlled (21 to 16) by Republicans. In committee the Michigan Promise Scholarship was stripped from the the bill. HB-4441, the updated version which you can see here was passed on June 23 by a 19 to 17 vote in the Senate. One Republican Wayne Kuipers, crossed over and voted against it…because as his aide told me the Michigan Promise Scholarship was not included. Otherwise the vote was along party lines. Look at Page 8 HB-4441. You’ll notice line 12 says Michigan Merit award program has been allocated $100. (this is called a placeholder) That is followed by $100 in red. This means that the Promise was written out of the Higher Education Funding Bill – but if Michigan’s economy improves it can be written back into the Bill. Fat chance on that happening – next year’s budget will be worse than this year’s.
HB-4441 moves back to the House
The members of the House of Representatives now look at the changes and make their own adjustments. They may choose to accept the Bill as it is – in this case with $140 million Michigan Promise taken out and send HB-4441 onto the Governor. Or they can send the Bill to Conference Committee, in which the Senate chooses three members and the House chooses three members; the six together work out the differences in the bill. The Michigan Promise sits right there in the middle of the differences. The Compromise that comes out of committee then goes back to the full House and Senate for a final vote. If passed by both chambers – the bill goes onto to the governor. If not, it goes back to committee until it is passed by both chambers.
Governor Granholm
Once HB-4441 gets to Governor Granholm, she may choose to sign it as a final portion of the 2009/10 budget, or she may choose to veto the bill and send it back to the Legislature. Please note: the Governor generally does not veto an entire budget bill because she has the line-item veto, which allows her to veto a specific item in the bill. Of all of the participants in this process (Democrats, Republicans, House, and Senate) the Governor has been the most vocal in her defense of the Michigan Promise. She announced on Wednesday June 24, “I’m not interested in eliminating the promise scholarships if we are to invest in the future of Michigan.” She has threatened to veto Higher Education Budget legislation that comes to her desk without the Michigan Promise moneys included. Make sure to hold the governor to her word.
Where does that leave us… Nobody – Democrats or Republicans – is certain about the fate of the Michigan Promise. Only Governor Granholm’s office has been absolutely adamant in its defense. That means you have a lot of people to convince if you want this Scholarship to be funded now and in the future:
- Things that need to happen:
- Multiple calls – If you have called once – wait a few days and call again. This process may go on for awhile. Be persistent.
- Out of District – Normally, I wouldn’t advise to call out of district. Not this time…check those previous phone #’s. All have a high profile roll in the process.
- E-mails – Write emails as well – take a look at Rachel’s. It’s a good one. You can do the same!
- Thank you – If a Legislator – Senator Kuipers or Representative Valentine or the Governor – come out in support of the Promise…call and thank them. They need your support. You need their support.
- Write the Muskegon Chronicle. The Community needs to know what these cuts mean to YOU, to your FRIENDS, to your FUTURE. And they need to hear it from YOU.
In the end this is NOT about Democrats. It’s NOT about Republicans. It’s about YOU! What role do you play in shaping your world. How much do you value your college education. What responsibilities do you have in being an active citizen of the United States and the state of Michigan.
You have work to do. Get to it!
Any questions drop me a line. I’m calling and emailing right along with you.
Filed under: Archives
Just found this in my inbox:
Dear Rachel,
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about the Michigan Promise money.
As you know, the Senate voted to eliminate the Michigan Promise. I don’t agree with this decision and will fight hard to change this when the bill comes to the House of Representatives.
Students in our state have been promised this money and work hard to earn it. It is unfair for the Senate to try to eliminate funding for this program.
I talked with Joan Bauer, the Chair of Higher Education Appropriations, who totally agrees with me and will do what she can to restore this funding.
Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue.
Sincerely,
Mary Valentine
Nice job Rach…all the Who’s down in Whoville just have to yell “YOPP!”
hey Mr. Wood
That letter that was sent back to racheal was very cool. At least we know there are a few people higher up on our side.
Now was Mary Valentine one who voted for eliminating the bill but then changed her mind?
True. But that doesn’t mean you still don’t call and support Mary Valentine. She needs to know – that what she’s doing is important, or she may change HER mind. As far as I know she was never in support of the bill. Check out our Senior Current Issue post assignment – you might want to post on it for extra credit. As for phone calling get organized – and hit em all up. Remind those Michigan Representatives that they serve YOU!