Michigan's Big 3 universities to get special budget status

DATELINE: LANSING

For the first time, Michigan's three largest research universities will get special recognition in the state budget.

A House-Senate conference committee on higher education today unanimously approved the $1.9 billion budget for the 15 public universities, including a provision that places University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University into a separate class as major research institutions.

The Big Three will not get any additional money this year - they'll get the same 1 percent increase as the other dozen state universities - but their status could net them more funding in the future as the state attempts to set up a collaborative college research triangle for economic development similar to a successful set-up in North Carolina, with Duke University, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University. 

Tuition grants for private college students were retained in the conference report but reduced by $2.1 million to $56.7 million. This is tantamount to a statement from lawmakers that they're not interested in gutting the program. Gov. Jennifer Granholm has threatened to veto the money for tuition grants.

Also this morning, a conference committee on the State Police budget agreed to close the Marquette and Sterling Heights State Police crime labs, as part of the overall effort to balance the state budget.

The six workers at the Marquette lab will be laid off; the 19 at the Sterling Heights facility will be transferred to other crime labs.

No posts will be closed and there will be no reduction in troopers' patrol car mileage.

The State Police conference committee report, as well as others approved this morning, represent agreement between leaders of the two houses and the two political parties, but must be approved by the full House and Senate as well.

The conference committee reports are a step forward in prolonged and contentious efforts to balance Michigan's budget. A month-long continuation budget expires at midnight on Halloween Wednesday.

Other conference reports inked this morning were for history, arts and library programs; military affairs, agriculture, and labor and economic growth spending..

But it was clear there is still no agreement on more controversial pieces of the budget puzzle. For example, a scheduled meeting on the Natural Resources budget was recessed. That committee is considering controversial increases in hunting and fishing license fees.

The panel on the human services budget also recessed because there is no agreement between Senate Republicans and Granholm on privatizing foster care, adoption and juvenile justice services, according to committee Chairman Bill Hardiman, R-Kentwood. He said the Senate and House are close to accord on the issue but the governor has not signed off on moving services from the state to private hands.

In addition, the conference panel on the transportation budget is entangled over an issue involving state funding for a study of an additional Detroit River crossing between Detroit and Windsor. Senate Republicans want to make sure the state study doesn't interfere with plans by Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel "Matty" Moroun to build a second span across the river.

"We're very close to an agreement," Hardiman said.

Lawmakers and Granholm are trying to find $433 million in budget cuts to balance the budget for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1. When an agreement couldn't be reached by then, the governor and lawmakers gave themselves another month to hammer out a pact. In the meantime, state spending has continued at last year's levels.

Without a new agreement, or another continuation budget, some state services will be shut down - as they were for four hours on Oct. 1.