With just two weeks to go before the end of the fiscal year, the Michigan Legislature has not yet adopted a budget for fiscal year 2010, which begins on October 1, 2009. Legislators from both sides of the aisle expect that painful cuts will be made, but it is not yet clear how deep the cuts will be, or which programs will be targeted.

Legislative leaders are currently negotiating to find a solution to the state's budget deficit. There are reports that they have negotiated a budget agreement that would include House approval of cuts of the same magnitude as the Senate-passed budgets -- including $1.2 billion in cuts, eliminating most early childhood programs, deep cuts in health care services for low-income children and families, cuts in basic income supports, and cuts in K-12 education -- with the hope that the Legislature would act later to restore some of the cuts through supplemental budget bills.

This strategy puts thousands of Michigan children and their families at risk!

Advocates for children must act now to make sure that their legislators, legislative leaders, and the Governor understand that the budget cannot be balanced on the backs of children and their families, and that other solutions to the state's budget woes must be forwarded, including tax reforms.

Find out more in our September 15 Action Alert.

Read more budget details in our latest report "State Budget Cannot Be Balanced on the Backs of Vulnerable Children and Families."

You can help protect our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.

Michigan's Children has made available several new resources on our website to help you speak up for children.

Use our template message and email contacts for Governor Granholm and legislative leaders to urge them to do the right thing and find the money to make Michigan a state where children thrive.

Use our template letters to legislators to help tell your personal story as it relates to the budget cuts.

Use the media to spread the word -- look at our sample letter to editor to write to your newspaper.

The Michigan Fiscal Responsibility Project has released an updated version of "What You Don't Know Can Hurt You. 11 Facts Michigan Citizens Need to Know About Michigan's Fiscal Crisis."

For too long, Michigan citizens have been kept in the dark about the true nature of our state's fiscal crisis. The Michigan Fiscal Responsibility Project believes the more facts people have, the better they will be able to participate in and understand decisions being made in Lansing.

For more information and a downloadable version of the brochure please visit www.mitaxtruth.com.

Speaking out on the budget crisis before us, Jack Kresnak, Michigan's Children President/CEO, wrote an op-ed, which was featured in the Sunday, September 13, 2009 edition of the Lansing State Journal.

Kresnak says, "Rather than keep trying to cut our way out of this budget mess by hacking away at vital programs and services, we must reform Michigan's tax system to ensure that our children are clothed, fed, protected and prepared to be tomorrow's leaders and workers...We must create a fair tax system by changing what and how we tax...Our children deserve strong leadership in difficult times."

Read the op-ed, "What Does Michigan Gain by Slashing Programs For Kids?"