2003 Senate Bill 270 ↩

House Roll Call 495: Passed

The House-Senate conference report for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2003-2004 Department of Consumer and Industry Services budget. (Note: Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s proposed budget for this department is <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/2003-SB-317">Senate Bill 317 </a>.) This appropriates $603.4 million in adjusted gross spending (funded from all sources, including special state restricted fund and federal pass-through dollars, minus interdepartmental transfers), compared to the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002 of $555.8 million, which was the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002, excluding any supplemental appropriations, line-item vetoes, or later cuts. Of this, $19.6 million will come from the General Fund (funded by actual state tax revenues), compared to the FY 2002-2003 amount enrolled in 2002 of $35.9 million. The budget retains funding for the Workers Compensation Appellate Commission, which hears appeals of workers' compensation cases, and which Governor Jennifer Granholm proposed eliminating, but reduces the number of members on the commission from seven to four. The budget shifts part of the funding for this department from the general fund to a number of new licensure fees which the legislature has approved. A provision added in the conference report grants $7 million to local governments to expand their assessment and collection of personal property tax, which is a tax on capital equipment owned by a business. 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.