Lansing (AP) -- Governor Jennifer Granholm has wrapped up signing spending bills for the budget year that started Oct. 1, vetoing a total of $127 million in 15 bills.
“This is the budget we have, but it is not the budget we need,” the Governor said in a conference call with reporters, Friday. “We've never gone this far. But this Senate is different. The cuts are extreme. This budget cannot stand as it is.”
Granholm told reporters that she doesn't like the deep cuts in the bills, but didn't want another government shutdown. All told, the Democratic governor issued 75 line-item vetoes this month in 15 budget bills.
Granholm said state funding for local governments has been cut by about ten-percent, and that will mean services will be affected. "The level of cuts is unacceptable, because it will mean a large number of layoffs in those communities for public protection," Granholm said.
"When you look even at the City of Detroit -- Mayor Bing is going through a massive downsizing and a huge financial deficit. He'll face another $30 million of cuts," she said.
Funding for the Michigan State Fair was one of the vetoes.
The Governor also expressed regret that thousands of college students won't be getting their scholarship money,"They were promised, in writing, that they would get this scholarship. They budgeted for it, but now they cut it out of the budget," she said.
While Granholm signed budget bills for Community Health; Energy, Labor and Economic Growth; Human Services; Michigan State Police; general government, and higher education - -she did use her veto power to eliminate, what she called, "unnecessary spending."
"If there was something in the budget that we didn't have enough money to fund completely, I vetoed it," Granholm said. "If there were special earmarks, mistakes or bad policy, I vetoed them," she said.
In all, the governor vetoed $127 million in spending for the 2010 fiscal year and noted that had she been able to add revenue to the budget or veto special interest tax loopholes out of it, she would have done so.
Granholm said she'll keep pushing to raise tax revenue to avoid or reduce cuts in college scholarships, health care, and police and fire protection.
“While the budget is signed, the fight to fund public education and health care and college access and public safety is far from over,” Granholm said.
The state has been operating this month under an interim budget that expires late Saturday.
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