Alternative Funding for Trial Courts Report Hearing Held in Joint Jucidicary Committees
The recommendations on alternative funding for trial courts, developed by the Alternative Funding for Trial Court Workgroup as established under Public Act 47 of 2024, were released last week. On Thursday, a joint hearing with the House Judiciary and Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety committees was held to provide a presentation on the report. MAC provided a letter to the committee addressing the report and listing concerns.
MAC’s participation in this workgroup does not translate to support for the recommendations. At this time, some of MAC’s largest concerns pertain to proposed oversight measures and substantial funding gaps that would result from these recommendations. MAC also agrees with the concerns shared by our local government partners.
The report states that SCAO regional staff will have an oversight responsibility in approving local court budgets. County commissioners have this sole discretion as the funding unit. SCAO staff having oversight of local court budgets in addition to what elected officials have already approved based on available funds is an unnecessary expansion of bureaucratic control and nullification of local control.
The report also recommends “funding non-court functions through sources other than court-generated revenue”. Shifting these costs to the state would create budget pressures for both the Legislature and county governments. If the state budget cannot fully replace these revenues, counties may be forced to shoulder these costs themselves or lose the services entirely. This shift would require at least $65 million in new annual funding from state or local sources. Specifically, eliminating the Justice System Fund (JSF) as recommended by the report poses funding shortfalls for necessary services, including the County Jail Reimbursement Program and the Michigan Justice Training Fund.
MAC recognizes the time and effort invested in developing this report and agrees that Michigan’s courts should be fair, accessible, and financially sustainable. That said, components of the current recommendations do not provide a workable or equitable solution for county governments.
MAC is committed to working with legislators, the State Court Administrative Office, and other impacted stakeholders to ensure a fair and stable court funding system.
For more information on this issue, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.
Medical Examiner Legislation Receives Senate Committee Approval
Legislation to require the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to establish an online platform for medical certifications of death and stipulates when a medical examiner must investigate the cause of death for an individual without medical attendance was passed out of the Senate Health Policy Committee on Wednesday.
House Bills 4077 and 4078, by Reps. Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) and Mueller (R-Genesee), could create cost savings for counties.
HB 4077 allows for cost savings for counties that do not currently use an online death reporting system. The change to online reporting would allow for labor cost savings. Also under HB 4077, removing the provisions for when a case must be referred to a county medical examiner would reduce workload and cost.
MAC, alongside the Michigan Association of County Clerks, support the bills.
For more information, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.
MDHHS orders full SNAP payments for November
With the federal government officially back open, funding for SNAP has been restored and things are moving in the right direction. MDHHS has instructed its vendor to resume issuing full November benefits, so families should see their normal allotments going forward. This follows several weeks of uncertainty during the shutdown, when states were warned that full November payments might not be possible without new federal appropriations.
Now that Congress has passed the funding bill and USDA has its authority back, states are working quickly to get everything back on schedule. There may still be some administrative cleanup as agencies work through delays and process any pending cases, but the main issue—missing or reduced November benefits—has been avoided.
For counties, the immediate pressure on local food pantries and charitable partners should ease as federal dollars start flowing again. That said, many organizations saw increased demand during the shutdown window, so there will be a lot of monitoring how this recovery phase plays out.
SNAP is now fully funded, benefits are being restored, and Michigan is moving back to business as usual. We’ll keep an eye on any follow-up federal or state actions that affect the timing of December benefits or ongoing program stability.
For more information, contact Jimmy Johnson at Johnson@micounties.org.
House Committee Approves Antrim County Judgeship Bill
A bill to create the Antrim County 99th District court received testimony in the House Judiciary committee on Tuesday. House Bill 4749, by Rep. John Roth (R-Grand Traverse), would allow the Antrim County Probate Judge to serve as both probate and district judge.
Currently, the 86th District Court operates under an intercounty operating agreement between Antrim, Grand Traverse, and Leelanau Counties. Under HB 4749, Antrim County residents would be better served with the creation of a 99th District Court and have closer, more immediate access to court resources.
MAC supports this legislation.
For more information on this issue, contact Samantha Gibson at gibson@micounties.org.
Podcast 83: Updates on Public Safety Revenue Sharing, Legislative Action and Trial Court Funding
MAC’s Podcast 83 team reported on what happened last week here in Lansing and even a little bit of what’s going to happen this week in their newest episode.
Deena Bosworth, Director of Governmental Affairs, started the podcast on the public safety revenue sharing payment. Providing more information about the payment schedule. “We anticipate probably 2 payments in the calendar year, but not until the spring. So, if you’re looking for those public safety dollars, just know that you’re going to have to wait until next year sometime to get them.”
Jimmy Johnson provided an update on House Bill 4726, by Rep. Matthew Bierlein, a former MAC Board president, passed out of the House almost unanimously and is now headed to the Senate.
Samantha Gibson provided an update on Trial Court Funding. “The Alternative Trial Court Funding Workgroup had their recommendations approved by the Michigan Judicial Council and we’re going to have a joint hearing, in the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on November 13th at 9am to go through the recommendations.” After the hearing this Thursday, we expect to have additional updates and information to share.
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