Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017

Contact:
Chantal Lovell
Media Relations Manager
989-698-1914

MIDLAND, MICHIGAN — A Mackinac Center for Public Policy budget and fiscal policy expert will be in Lansing Wednesday and available for interviews regarding Gov. Rick Snyder’s 2018 fiscal year budget presentation.

Michael LaFaive, director of the Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative at the Center, said he will be watching Snyder’s presentation to see how much the governor plans to add to the budget. Earlier this year, LaFaive published a list of ideas to free up over $1.1 billion in state money.

Among the many things he will be watching for are the amount of money that will be allocated to infrastructure; the extent to which public employee pension obligations will be paid down; and how much money will be set aside for corporate welfare.

“During Gov. Snyder’s 2017 State of the State address, we heard him say a dozen different ways he wanted to expand government while proposing only one way to limit its size,” LaFaive said. “It will be interesting to see how those plans translate to the budget, and to see if he prioritizes paying down the state’s burgeoning pension debt.”

LaFaive has been studying Michigan budgets for decades and has analyzed governors’ State of the State speeches as far back as 1969. While the size of the increases Snyder has advocated for is on par with those of former governors, on average, he has offered the fewest limitations of government during the annual address. But the one limitation he noted in his speech — addressing legacy liabilities — would have a tremendous impact.

To set up an in-person or phone interview with LaFaive before or after the budget presentation, please contact:

Chantal Lovell
Media Relations Manager
989-698-1914

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