LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday released his proposed fiscal 2015 budget. Here are highlights.
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EDUCATION
- $11.7 billion in K-12 state appropriations.
- An additional $65 million for the Great Start Readiness Program, eliminating the waiting list for early education.
- $2 million in new funding to pilot year-round school programs.
- An additional $80.3 million for Michigan’s 15 public universities and $8.9 million more for community colleges. This is a 6.1 percent increase for universities and a 3 percent increase for community colleges. Schools must limit tuition increases to no more than 3.2 percent to receive the funding increases.
- $7.3 million for financially distressed school districts.
- $27.8 million for phased-in implementation of evaluation tools and systems for teachers and administrators.
- An increase of $270 million for K-12 to fund retirement liabilities within the school retirement system over the employer share, which is capped at 20.96 percent.
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HEALTH CARE
- $71.7 million to implement expanded Medicaid coverage.
- $15.7 million in gross funding to expand the Healthy Kids Dental program into Kalamazoo and Macomb counties.
- $15.6 million to support the initiatives as recommended in the Mental Health Commission final report.
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JOBS CREATION/INFRASTRUCTURE
- $254 million to match federal aid and maintain Michigan roads and bridges, transit services and aeronautics projects.
- $5 million for the Automotive, Engineering and Manufacturing Technology Fund.
- $2 million in new funding for the Pure Michigan marketing campaign, which would bring total annual spending to $31 million.
- An increase of $15 million for community revitalization and business attraction efforts.
- $100 million in bond funds ($7.9 million for debt service) to allow universities with accredited engineering programs to compete for capital improvements to help increase the number of engineers and retain them in Michigan.
- $50 million in bond funds ($4.6 million for debt service) to allow community colleges to compete for funds to retool equipment for high-skill and high-demand occupations.
- $2 million in new funding to support arts education, encouraging creative works of art and broaden cultural understanding.
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SENIOR CITIZENS/VETERANS/IMMIGRANTS
- $5 million to expand home-delivered meals for seniors and other in-home services, with another $9 million for the MI Choice Waiver program, eliminating waiting lists.
- $5 million in new funding to establish and support a tuition assistance program for Air and Army National Guard personnel.
- $385,000 for the creation of the Office for New Americans to attract immigrants.
- $1 million in new funding for prevention of elder abuse and related programs.
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PUBLIC SAFETY
- $17.8 million to train an additional 100 troopers and 31 motor carrier officers through the Michigan State Police Training Academy.
- $25.3 million in new funding to replace equipment for the Michigan Public Safety Communications System.
- $1.6 billion for the prison system, which houses 43,700 prisoners. Total corrections funding would be $2 billion.
- $500,000 to expand initiatives focused on anti-bullying and hate crimes.
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ENVIRONMENT
- $6 million to prevent invasive species.
- $3.5 million to hire and train 25 new Department of Natural Resources conservation officers, bringing the total number to 227, up from 186 in 2010.
- $2.5 million for development of a trail system from Belle Isle to the Wisconsin border.
- $4 million to support a new water quality initiative.
- An additional $1 million for a statewide recycling initiative.
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LOCAL SUPPORT
- Set aside $17.5 million in tobacco settlement reserves annually for 20 years toward the Detroit bankruptcy resolution.
- $36 million in increased support to local governments for the Economic Vitality Incentive Program.
- $764.9 million in constitutional revenue sharing payments and $211.2 million in county payments.
- $10 million in emergency reserve funds for school districts at risk of closure during a school year and for districts that may have to enroll students from a dissolved district.
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OTHER
- $120 million to the so-called Rainy Day Fund, bringing its total to $700 million.
- $122 million to the new Michigan Health Savings Fund to offset future health care costs.
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