SE Grand Rapids News

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the $2.3 billion COVID-19 relief plan last week but has vetoed $652 million in Legislature proposals, along with a bill that would limit her powers during the pandemic, according to reporting by Bridge Michigan.

The COVID-19 spending plan authorizes the state to use up to $2.3 billion in federal funds, with $110 million being allocated to prioritize vaccine distribution, $150 million for pay raises for direct care workers and $283 million for an emergency assistance program intended to assist families struggling to pay rent and utilities during the now year-long pandemic.

Whitmer's veto of $405 million in business tax and fee breaks, however, will leave Michigan businesses without any immediate relief, according to Republican lawmakers.

Rep. Thomas Albert | Michigan House Republicans

“The bills I received were not negotiated with me or my administration, and I continue to call on the Legislature to ensure that we work together to ensure we maximize every penny that is available,” Whitmer said, according to Bridge Michigan. "There were problems in the bills that I had to veto, and I expect the Legislature to step up to fix the bill to allocate all of the money so we can get back to normal as soon as possible.”

Republican lawmakers, who proposed the $405 million tax and fee breaks after rejecting Whitmer's earlier proposal of $225 million in business grants, claimed this unnecessary veto would only serve to kill off small businesses already struggling due to the lockdowns and restrictions imposed during the pandemic.

“This desperately needed assistance was not tied to any other measure or condition in the relief plan, yet the governor vetoed it anyway and with it she is killing off whatever hope struggling families and job providers had left," House Appropriations Chairman Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) told Bridge Michigan.

Whitmer also vetoed a measure that would have allocated $150 million to the employer-funded Unemployment Insurance Fund, along with $87 million relief funding for private schools and $10 million in grants for summer school expenses.

Additionally, Whitmer vetoed a bill proposed by Republican lawmakers that attempted to make $841 million in education funding contingent on the governor signing a policy that would have limited the state health department and Whitmer's power to close schools or sporting events during an outbreak.

It is unclear what will happen with those funds at this time. Republican lawmakers maintain that the funds will be available later for future negotiations, but Bridge Michigan says Whitmer could declare the GOP's language unconstitutional and may try to spend that money in a different manner.