Michigan 'pork' projects: 6 things to know about $3.4B sought by lawmakers

• Michigan Senate Republicans announce their own public legislative earmarks portal, following the state House’s lead
• House lawmakers were required to submit pet project requests last week ahead of final budget negotiations
• In all, House lawmakers are asking for almost $3.4 billion for 791 projects

LANSING — Republicans in the Michigan Senate are taking a page from their House counterparts, unveiling on Monday a public website that lists earmarks — otherwise known as “pork” — they want added to the next state budget. 

The announcement by Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, follows last week’s disclosure of more than $3 billion in spending requests by lawmakers in the state House, where GOP Speaker Matt Hall has vowed he won’t take up any budget bills with last-minute earmarks. 

New House rules mandate lawmakers must submit funding requests at least 14 days before any budget votes. 

The earmark process has been rife with controversy in recent years, in part because lawmakers slipped requests in huge spending bills that were unveiled and quickly passed in late-night sessions. That included some eyebrow-raising grants, including millions for rockets, private firms and projects to benefit those with political connections.

While Senate Republicans did not set the kind of deadline that Hall is mandating in the House, their voluntary disclosure plan leaves Senate Democrats as the only caucus in the Michigan Legislature yet to commit to some level of advance earmark disclosure in the budget process.

“Michigan families deserve a better budget process that is transparent, accountable and reflects the true needs of taxpayers,” Nesbitt said in a Monday statement announcing an earmark request website that so far includes only a handful of entries. 

As of Monday, the House (and some Senate Republicans) had disclosed nearly 800 requests ranging from buying the Argentine Township Police Department a new skiff patrol boat to various infrastructure repairs across Michigan. Those requests are now available for review online. 

Here’s some key takeaways from the requests:

Total amount requested

With the House deadline now officially behind us — Hall required all earmark requests by Thursday — we have final totals from the lower chamber: House lawmakers are seeking funding for 791 pet projects totaling nearly $3.4 billion, a slight jump from the $3.3 billion figure Bridge Michigan reported last week.

The growing total is the result of the House budget process, said Hall spokesperson Gideon D’Assandro, who noted some of the requests were for departmental budgets rather than traditional “enhancement grant” earmarks. 

New requests not included in Bridge’s initial analysis of pet projects include:

• $5 million for Kalasho Education and Youth Services to use on their Warren-based behavioral health therapy program, MindGarden. Requested by Rep. Phil Green, R-Millington.  
• $3.3 million for bridge repairs in Sheridan Township. Requested by Rep. Steve Frisbee, R-Three Rivers.
• $1.5 million for Kalasho Education and Youth Services to use on wrap-around services for “new Americans” at a special charter school in Madison Heights. Requested by Green.
• $992,455 to modernize and repair facilities, as well as move the clock tower on Jackson Community College’s campus. Requested by Rep. Kathy Schmaltz, R-Jackson.
• $600,000 for the Veterans Support Group of Michigan to provide treatment for certain vascular procedures for Medicaid recipients. Requested by Green. 

And the most prolific requester is…

That depends on how you want to slice it.

The largest number of requests came from Rep. Karen Whitsett. The Detroit Democrat, who has increasingly sided with Republican leadership on various policy proposals, submitted 41 separate earmark requests. 

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Her requests range from $200,000 for a youth program to two $50 million requests to support Detroit’s water and sewer department and to help seniors and disabled residents of Detroit. In all, she’s seeking about $159.1 million in earmarks.

Rep. John Roth, R-Interlochen, requested the most money for earmarks. His 29 requests – the most by a House Republican – totalled $267.6 million. 

Roth’s requests range from $100,000 for the Benzie Wellness and Aquatic Center to $40 million for Teach for America. Two dozen of his requests were for $1 million or more.

Some of the bigger asks

By far the biggest individual earmark request came from Rep. Brian BeGole, R-Perry, who is seeking $207 million to revamp the Owosso water and sewer system. Owosso, in Shiawassee County, is a town of just under 15,000 people.

The next largest request came from Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, who is seeking $93 million for two projects at Michigan Technological University in Houghton County.

One project, accounting for $90 million, would fully fund the creation of a new Center for Convergence and Innovation at MTU. If approved, the center would feature digital lab facilities, an open-access conference room, entrepreneurial training hall and more, according to the university. 

The other $3 million would go toward an MTU Mass Timber Research and Demonstration Structure, which Markkanen says would provide an opportunity in the western Upper Peninsula to “highlight the use of Michigan-grown hardwoods for … timber structures and provide necessary research and promotion of the viability of the industry.”

Will the Michigan Senate play ball?

While the Democratic-led Senate has already started inserting some earmark requests into their own state budget proposal, it does not appear they will be following the House’s lead by requiring advance disclosure. 

Rosie Jones, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids, told Bridge in a text that while aware “the House is trying something new with their process,” the Senate would be keeping the status quo and that their earmarks would be “laid out in the subcommittee budgets.”

Hall has already vowed to block any earmarks that don’t comport with House rules, so it’s unclear how many of these Senate priorities will make the final cut — especially given the strained relationships between Hall and Brinks, who are battling each other in court over separate legislation. 

Senate Republicans, meanwhile, unveiled their own webpage listing their requested earmarks. 

As of Monday afternoon, just three requests totaling $5.3 million were posted to the site: 

• $1.9 million for a new turn lane on M-20 for traffic coming on, and off, US 31 to M-20. Requested by Sen. Jon Bumstead, R-North Muskegon.
• $1.9 million for repairing culvert failures on Mitchell Street in downtown Cadillac. Requested by Sen. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton.
• $1.5 million for the Grand Haven-based Mosaic Counseling, to expand its pilot program tackling high wait times. Requested by Sen. Mark Huizenga, R-Walker.

New Legislature, new rules

Hall and other lawmakers in January changed state House rules to require advance earmark disclosure. Though the deadline for this year’s requests was May 1, in future years they’ll be due by April 1. 

Lawmakers sponsoring an earmark have to explain how it will provide a “public benefit” and name the organization receiving the grant.

The goal is to ensure the public knows the proposed budget earmark “is going to provide a benefit” to taxpayers, sponsoring Rep. Ann Bollin, a Brighton Republican who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said earlier this year.

Democratic majorities in 2023 began requiring lawmakers to disclose which earmarks they sponsored — but not until months after they were voted on and approved. 

While Senate Democrats have not announced any plans to change that process, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proposed new transparency rules for both legislative chambers that would require earmark information to be posted online for public review at least five days before a budget is approved.

What happens next

Lawmakers are now in a holding pattern with respect to their requests. 

The Michigan Constitution requires lawmakers and the governor agree to a budget by Sept. 1, and failure to do so would result in a government shutdown. But officials in recent years have sought to complete the process by July 1 and ahead of the Legislature’s summer recess.

How many earmarks make it into the final budget remains to be seen. That will be part of negotiations, Bollin told Bridge last week.