2003 Senate Bill 279 ↩

House Roll Call 457: Passed

The House-Senate conference report for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2003-2004 Department of Arts, History, and Libraries budget. (Note: Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s proposed budget for this department is <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/2003-SB-318">Senate Bill 318</a>.) This appropriates $56.9 million in adjusted gross spending (funded from all sources, including special state restricted fund and federal pass-through dollars), compared to $74.5 million, which was the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002, excluding any supplemental appropriations, line-item vetoes, or later cuts. Of this, $44.7 million will come from the General Fund (funded by actual state tax revenues), compared to the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002 of $48.9 million. Compared to FY 2002-2003 funding the conference report grants 40 percent less for the Grand Rapids Public library ($125,000 total appropriation) and 60 percent less to the Detroit Public Library ($1 million total appropriation). Gross spending in the conference report is $2.6 million less than the amount originally recommended by the governor; there is no change in the General Fund appropriation. The conference report retains the 49-percent reduction in Arts and Cultural Grants originally proposed by the governor. Much more information on Michigan’s budget is available at <a href="http://www.mackinac.org/4964">Hot Topics: Michigan’s Budget Challenge</a> at www.mackinac.org/4964.