St. Joe-Benton Harbor News

On March 3, Michigan lawmakers finalized the state's COVID-19 plan to authorize the use of $3.45 billion of $5 billion in federal funding, in an effort to combat the negative effects of the now year-long COVID-19 pandemic.

Money for the plan also include state funding, which totals to $4.25 billion.

Rep. Thomas Albert | Michigan House Republicans

According to a report by Bridge Michigan, the plan intends to facilitate funds towards vaccine distribution, temporary business tax breaks, improvements in education and assistance for renters falling behind on property taxes. However, it also follows two months of contention between Democratic and Republican leaders in the Michigan Legislature.

Legislators from both major parties disagreed on how much of the federal aid money should be used, with Republicans claiming that less money should be used in an effort to help boost the economy due to "crippling restrictions" placed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

“Gov. Whitmer, your strictest-in-the-nation restrictions are crippling the foundation of our economy, our small businesses,” House Appropriations Chairman Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) said, according to Bridge Michigan. “Your measures are not (based) on science, but are calculated measures to retain power.”

Although Michigan's economy took a harder hit than its neighboring states, studies by the University of Michigan found that Whitmer's policies still had less effect than the pandemic itself and that the state's business performance for 2020 exceeded expectations.

Whitmer will likely veto some of the proposed funding because it ties to separate bills that would force her to give up her authority to control the state's response to the pandemic.

The COVID-19 plan currently allocates $1.8 billion in federal funding for education to help schools resume in-person learning while providing remediation courses for any students who have fallen behind during remote learning. But in order for $841 million of these funds to be used, Whitmer must sign a separate House bill that bars the state from closing schools or sporting events during outbreaks, effectively weakening Whitmer's authority to respond to the pandemic.