Last week, the various Senate and House Appropriations Committees each voted to maintain funding for the 0-3 Secondary Prevention, Great Parents/Great Start, and the Nurse Family Partnership programs.

Funding for the programs had been eliminated in Governor Jennifer Granholm's budget proposal.

Beginning the week of April 6th, state legislators will be in their home districts for two weeks for Spring recess. This is your opportunity to meet with members to thank them for maintaining funding and to discuss a strategy to keep funding for these programs in each budget.

Please contact your legislators and meet with them while they are home. Contact information for the members of the appropriations subcommittees is available on Michigan's Children's web site.

Read our April 7 Action Alert for more detailed information about each budget and program and talking points.

The House has completed its work on the K-12 School Aid budget for the fiscal year 2009-2010. The budget bill will now move to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on K-12, School Aid, Education.

The Governor's budget includes a total of $13 billion for K-12 School Aid, including $11.4 billion in state funds, and nearly $1.6 billion in federal funds. The House's budget includes a total of $13.1 billion, including $11.3 billion in state funds, the same amount in federal funds, plus $220 million in federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Read our latest Budget Basics on the K-12 School Aid budget.

The House Appropriations Committee for the Department of Community Health (DCH) completed its work on the fiscal year 2009 - 2010 budget. The budget bill will now go to the House floor.

Read our latest Budget Basics on the DCH budget.

On April 1, 2009, the Senate Appropriations Committee completed its work on the fiscal year 2009- 2010 budget for the Department of Human Services (DHS) . The budget bill will now move to the Senate floor.

The Governor's budget includes a total of $4.59 billion for the DHS, of which $1.0265 billion is state general fund. The Senate Appropriations Committee budget includes $4.58 billion for the DHS, including $1.0264 in state general funds. The budgets assume that the state will receive an additional $155 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) contingency funding in fiscal year 2009, providing flexibility to carry funds forward in 2010.

Read our latest Budget Basics on the DHS budget.