MichiganRadio

Budget Countdown LANSING, MI (MPRN) -

State lawmakers are lining up big spending cuts in time to get Michigan's budget balanced before tomorrow night's deadline.

Cuts to college scholarships, Medicaid and other human services, as well as local governments seem inevitable. Democratic Representative Fred Durhal chairs the House local governments budget subcommittee. Durhal says the spending cuts will shift the budget crisis from the state to cities and townships. He says people will see the effects of the cuts.

"There will be expanded response times because of lack of personnel. There will be failures of getting equipment repaired and all that kind of stuff," says Durhal.

Durhal and other Democrats are hoping to build support for new taxes and other revenues sources to try and restore some of the cuts in coming weeks. Lawmakers are expected to work into the night to get a spending plan to Governor Granholm's desk. © Copyright 2012, MPRN