This week, the House moved quickly, voting in one day to provide additional funds to assist the City of Flint’s ongoing water crisis.  On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee unanimously reported a supplemental appropriations bill providing an additional $28 million in funds.  Later that day, the full House voted unanimously to approve the bill.  The additional dollars will be split amongst six departments and will fund services such as;

•    Six additional nurses for the Flint School District
•    $500,000 for outside experts to conduct a study on the integrity of the Flint water system’s infrastructure
•    $8 million for emergency supplies, such as bottled water, water filters, and replacement cartridges
•    $1.5 million for lead abatement of homes
•    $3.9 million for behavior health care for children with high blood levels
•    $2 million to support Army National Guard operations within the city for three months
•    $100,000 for the operations of the Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee

The bill was sponsored by Representative Phil Phelps (D-Flushing), whose district includes a portion of the City of Flint.  In a press release he stated “It was imperative that we acted quickly, and I appreciate that legislators on both sides of the aisle realized how needed this money was in the Flint Community.  I urge the Senate to pass HB 5220 just as quickly, because the timeline is short, and the need is now.”  The bill has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, where it is expected they will hold a hearing on the bill next week.

Additionally, the Governor has requested that the State Budget Office rework the upcoming 2016-2017 Fiscal Year budget in order to find additional funds for the City of Flint.  This will likely mean that other budget priorities will receive less funds than previously expected.  The Governor is scheduled to present his executive budget recommendations to a joint meeting of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on Wednesday, February 10.  “The Governor’s request will have department-wide ramifications on several budgetary areas.  The shifting of funds is creating additional unknowns with the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, including how much funding will be provided to the City of Flint and what programs will see their line-items adjusted to support the effort,” stated Sean Mann of MLC.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.