After months of waffling, Hall commits to finalizing part of state budget by July 1 deadline

After repeatedly refusing to commit to meeting the state’s July 1 deadline to pass a new state budget, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) on Wednesday said the Republican-led House would make a “good faith” effort to finalize the state’s education budget on time. 

While reporters have repeatedly asked Hall on whether he’d commit to finishing the budget on time, the Republican speaker continuously failed to offer any assurance that the chamber would meet the state’s July 1 budget deadline. 

Although lawmakers are required to pass a new state budget by the end of June each year, the deadline carries no legal penalties if lawmakers fail to come to an agreement on funding. 

With the new fiscal year beginning on Oct. 1, Hall asserted at a January press conference that the House’s constitutional responsibility was to deliver a budget by Sept. 30. While the House would work to have the budget complete by July 1, Hall told reporters at a press conference Wednesday that the budget may not be complete until the end of September. 

Hall’s comments have sparked concern from Democratic members of the Senate and some Republicans, alongside several education groups, who rely on lawmakers to finalize the budget before July 1, with the fiscal year for Michigan School districts ending on June 30.

On Tuesday, State Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on PreK-12, criticized Hall and several other lawmakers for traveling to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of the Trump administration rather than negotiating a spending plan.

“We’re here on the floor working hard, not only still figuring out budget priorities and discussions, but we’ve been working on legislation while House Republicans are in D.C. kissing the ring of the president,” Camilleri said. “We have very different priorities, and that’s very clear from the contrast this week.”

At the beginning of Wednesday’s press conference, Hall said the trip was “perfectly timed” with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer departing on a weeklong trip to build up trade ties with Australia.

“If you’re going to pick a day to go to Washington, D.C. and meet with the cabinet and a lot of the departments and meet with the Domestic Policy Council, picking a day when Whitmer is in Australia is actually a pretty well coordinated day, because you can’t get a budget done without Gretchen Whitmer, we all know that,” Hall said. 

With the House passing its K-12 and its higher education budget through the chamber last week, Hall said they’d given Democrats ample time to negotiate. 

Tracy Wimmer, a spokesperson for Michigan House Democrats, said that was “a very interesting take,” calling attention to the limited days remaining and noting that passing a budget by July 1 is a vital responsibility of the Legislature.  

Camilleri contended that if it were up to him and his House counterpart Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw Township) they could likely have a deal on the education budget by the deadline, pointing to Hall as the hitch in the conversation. 

However, Hall argued Democrats were to blame and that the opposing party never intended to pass the budget on time, pointing to comments from State Sen. Mallory McMorrow in November that Hall could trigger a government shutdown. 

“I’ve always preferred to get this done by July 1. I just am dealing with a group of people that are not serious about getting it done,” Hall said. 

Camilleri said the goal was for both chambers to have their spending plans ready to go by July 1, with the Senate meeting its obligation by passing spending plans for both education and the general government months ago. 

With lawmakers off Thursday in recognition of Juneteenth, the Senate only has three session days on the calendar to come to an agreement on a budget by the deadline, while the House has four. 

While Hall said he’d work to have the K-12 budget finalized by July 1, he argued it makes more sense for the remainder of the budget to be finalized by September 30 as House Republicans examine the general government budget for items to cut. 

“When you’re really digging into the programs, you don’t want unintended consequences to cuts. You want to ensure that you’re getting the most value for your dollars,” Hall said.