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State legislature is finalizing state budget

Hanna Barczyk for NPR

The Legislature is meeting into the evening to finalize the state budget.

It’s also working on some other questions before beginning its summer recess. The budget includes a record amount of funding for schools and for vocational training.

Republican Representative Ben Frederick serves on the House Appropriations Committee. He says the state has a huge windfall to work with and it also makes sense to set some money aside for later. “Generally, there’s a desire to be reflective on where we are potentially with the economy. Our last thing we want to do is come back with a negative type of supplemental in a few months because we some of the aftershocks of inflation, some economic situations,” he says.

Frederick says some negotiations will wait for later so schools and local governments know how much they have to work with heading into their new fiscal years. The talks could include potential tax cuts.

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network.