State Senator Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek), Democratic Leader:

This budget represents the right priorities for our state - investing in education and job growth, while living within our means. We took massive, sometimes painful, strides last year in fixing our long-standing structural deficit and the fiscally-responsible plan we're able to consider today is the positive result of that effort. I'm particularly impressed with the Governor's commitment to finding additional savings and proposing necessary reforms such as mental health courts.

State Senator Mickey Switalski (D-Roseville), Lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee:

Today's proposal helps us strengthen our economy right away, as well as stay structurally sound for the future. The decision to end the practice of using one time fixes for recurring budget holes and to dedicate resources to our rainy day fund is the responsible approach we need.

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