LANSING – State Representative Bettie Cook Scott (D-Detroit) today announced that House Democrats were continuing to work hard to solve Michigan's fiscal crisis and stave off the threat of a looming government shutdown, despite a lack of cooperation from Republicans.
"As lawmakers, we have a duty to the people we represent to do what's right to move Michigan forward," Scott said. "As of right now, Republicans have been completely responsible for blocking the additional revenues that Michigan needs to protect education, health care, police and fire and other services. As legislators, we have fiscal and personal responsibilities that need to come before party responsibilities. I ask Republicans to remember that fact."
The State House has worked for several days in a row toward setting Michigan's budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The state is facing a $1.8 million budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. If a solution has not been set by that date, Michigan will face a full government shutdown.
A shutdown would close down the state lottery, an essential source of funding for our public schools. It would close the Secretary of State, denying residents the ability to buy or sell a car. And 55,000 state employees would not receive their paychecks, forcing them and their families to go without the money they need to put food on the table and pay their monthly bills.
"The solution to the current budget crisis must be a comprehensive, bipartisan plan that includes cuts, reforms and revenues," Scott said. "Until there is a structural change to the revenue collecting systems in Michigan, funding for critical programs will continue to decline. Our state will be stuck in a never-ending cycle of budget shortfalls, and more of our essential services will be cut. The time to act is now."