Michigan lawmakers spent an all-night marathon session hammering out the details of a $51.8 billion budget, sending it to Governor Gretchen Whitmer in the early morning hours Friday.
Michigan Farm Bureau Legislative Counsel Rebecca Park said there’s a lot to like in the budget, which includes multiple hard-fought wins for agriculture.
“This budget reflects our members’ grassroots, policy-driven priorities, restoring proposed funding cuts to MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division, along with funding for key food safety, milk quality, and livestock disease programs, among others,” Park said.
“Agriculture’s voice was heard through this process, and critical ag inspections and programming will continue under this budget.”
While Park said it is disappointing that provisions requiring the use of E-Verify for contractors and subcontractors working with state agencies remained in the final budget after being strongly opposed by MFB, she highlighted other critical wins in the budget, including:
MAEAP support
The budget includes Sen. Kevin Daley’s bill that keeps important environmental programs — like the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assistance Program (MAEAP) — funded and in place for years to come.
The measure extends the statutory sunset on key agricultural fees, including fertilizer sales and pesticide registration fees, which will continue to be collected at their current levels through Oct. 1, 2029.
Notably, the legislation acted as a shield for farmers who would have faced increased fees of up to 36% from a different, last-minute bill introduced just before the budget was formalized.
“This is a great victory for MFB members and speaks to the success of a voluntary MAEAP program over the years,” Park said. “Due to the strong connections of agriculture leaders, lawmakers connected this program to the budget discussion and made sure the program would continue.”
EGLE permitting reforms
The budget includes new boilerplate provisions aimed at reforming the permitting process within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to provide more transparency, accountability and clearer guidance.
Those updates include an MFB-backed provision requiring EGLE to have stakeholder-developed permitting guidebooks and publish a report detailing the number of permits issued outside of their statutory timeline.
“It doesn’t matter what commodity you produce or where you farm in the state, MFB members have seen firsthand how the permitting process has become so ambiguous and burdensome that it’s hindering agricultural growth,” said MFB Associate Legislative Counsel Josh Scramlin.
“The creation of permitting guidebooks for groundwater discharge permits is a step toward reducing that burden on farmers. Additionally, requiring the department to report when it fails to issue permits on time will help reveal how prevalent permit delays truly are.”
The budget is now being reviewed by Gov. Whitmer and there will be more Michigan Farm News coverage when the final version is signed.