 |
 |
Governor Granholm has signed the MDA budget for FY2010, vetoes to several line items that will have a huge negative impact on Michigan producers. This budget is a severe blow to Michigan Department of Agriculture and Conservation Districts. link to the Governor's press release. http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7- 168--224263--,00.html A 2/3 vote is needed in the house and senate to overturn the governor’s veto. Please help by contacting local legislators and asking them to renew funding to these valuable programs!!! Talking Points: (provided by Michigan Association of Conservation Districts) The Legislature had reduced MDA's budget by 10 percent in general fund dollars when it was presented to the Governor for signature. It included $84.6 million total funding with $30.6 million general fund. The Governor signed MDA's budget on Oct. 14; however, it included 16 line- item vetoes and additional boilerplate vetoes resulting in $73.3 million in total FY2010 funding for MDA. The vetoes cut an additional $11.3 million in total funding from MDA's already reduced budget, including a $537,900 general fund reduction, giving MDA a 13 percent total budget reduction (1.7 percent general fund) compared to the legislature's proposal. The vetoes have direct program impacts including: • $300,000 cut from the Agriculture Development Division eliminating the Select Michigan program, curtailing agriculture economic development efforts, and hindering MDA's ability to work with the state's commodity groups. • The veto eliminates $236,900 in grant funding for Michigan's 79 local conservation districts. • $540,100 in funding to support the Michigan Agricultural Surplus System. The MASS program provides a safe, fast, and convenient system for the state's food industry to donate products, plus reimburse growers, packers and processors for costs incurred in preparing donations for local food banks. Since 2001, the state’s local conversation districts have seen steady decline in funding support. In nine years, funding levels have gone from $2.8 million in funding now to zero. • $485,100 cut for producer security effectively eliminating that program. • $6,625,800 veto cuts all equine grant administration, which ends all state funding for local county fairs including premium payments and building improvements. MDA has already issued 15 layoff notices effective November 1, 2009 based on the legislature’s proposal. The vetoes within the approved budget will result in potentially 25 additional layoffs. This is in addition to six staff that were eliminated with the Executive Order in July. MDA has already eliminated programs based upon funding reductions including pet shop and horse riding stable inspections, seed testing, fertilizer testing, agrichemical bulk storage, dry bean grading, and Upper Peninsula State Fair A supplemental to restore equine development funding, producer security and other critical funding areas within the budget is being prepared by MDA in coordination with the State Budget Office. Authorization for dairy inspection fee increases and the creation of a migrant labor housing inspection fee are included in MDA’s budget and those bills are currently being developed. Please contact your local legislators and encourage them to supports these valuable programs. If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html