Michigan’s new budget is larger than it appeared, report finds

By Craig Mauger, MediaNews Group

Lansing — Michigan’s new budget amounts to $84 billion, about $2.5 billion more than the spending plan lawmakers initially approved last year, despite some claims to the contrary, according to a report released Thursday by a nonprofit research organization.

The Citizens Research Council of Michigan’s analysis highlighted “a huge and atypical shift in appropriations,” within the new budget, toward so-called boilerplate language — guidelines for spending that usually accompany traditional appropriations.

While there are about $74.6 billion in traditional appropriations in the budget, an additional $9.3 billion in spending, tied to two Medicaid provider taxes, is placed in boilerplate, meaning the total budget is larger than it might appear, according to t