UPDATE: Whitmer vetoes stalled bills after court ends legal battle
Michigan’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered the Michigan House to present nine bills to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for her signature, including one that harms county budgeting in labor negotiations.
UPDATE: Hours after the Supreme Court’s order, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed all nine bills, stating they would be “an insurmountable administrative burden on the state.”
The court’s order ends a long legal battle begun when House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Kalamazoo) did not send over legislation adopted by a Democratic majority in December 2024 for the governor’s review.
Among those measures is House Bill 6058, by Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Macomb), which amends the Publicly Funded Health Insurance Contribution Act (Public Act 152 of 2011) — legislation that directly impacts county employee benefit plans.
While MAC has long supported responsible efforts to control public-sector health care costs, HB 6058 introduces significant challenges for local governments and was advanced without meaningful consultation with county officials.
MAC supports the concept of raising the “hard cap” on employer contributions to better reflect rising health care costs. However, MAC strongly opposes other provisions of the bill that would undermine local budget stability and collective bargaining flexibility:
- Mandated 80 percent Employer Contribution: HB 6058 would require local governments to pay at least 80 percent of employee health insurance costs. This mandate removes local discretion and imposes unsustainable financial obligations on counties already facing limited revenue growth and rising costs in other service areas.
- Flawed Inflation Index: The bill ties annual increases in the hard cap to the medical care component of the Consumer Price Index. This approach fails to capture the full range of health care cost drivers, including prescription drug expenses, and is impractical, as insurers do not separately report the medical care component to the Department of Insurance and Financial Services.
- No Financial Offset for Mandated Costs: The legislation does not include any appropriation or fiscal support to help local units absorb these higher costs.
It is not yet clear when the bills will be formally presented to the governor, nor whether Whitmer will sign HB 6058.
For more information on this issue, contact Deena Bosworth at bosworth@micounties.org.
Podcast 83 reviews the rush to FY27 budget and the county impacts
The newest episode of MAC’s Podcast 83 delves into the wins for counties out of the Legislature’s mad dash to a fiscal 2027 budget right before the holiday weekend.
“The overall budget, I believe, was less than previous year budget, correct?” asked host Stephan Currie.
“It was pretty much flat, with a $14.1 billion General Fund. That’s what we look at. We look at the General Fund, because that’s what they have some discretion over,” replied Deena Bosworth, MAC’s chief lobbyist.
“You had some increased pressures because of the One Big Beautiful Bill, financial pressures coming from federal changes. So, to make it out flat, I think is pretty good, plus there is still an option to get the (Revenue Sharing Trust Fund) done by the end of the year; that isn’t bad,” Currie said.
In other budget news:
- Public safety funding – “I’m very happy about that one,” Bosworth said. “That’s the continuation of the $11.7 million that goes out to counties for public safety revenue sharing grants. Now, it’s a line item in the budget, same as last year.
- Prosecutor funding – “What they did this year in the fiscal 27 budget is they added $3 million in addition to what they had appropriated before to make all of those counties that were eligible (for this funding) in 2025 and 2026 whole.”
Also in this week’s episode, two new team members were introduced: Davis Grimm and Maci Main.
Both Grimm and Main are coming to MAC from legislative offices and will work under Bosworth on the association’s advocacy team.
For more details, watch the full episode, recorded on July 7, by clicking here or on the image above.
Main, Grimm join MAC advocacy staff
MAC filled out its advocacy staff this week with the appointment of two legislative staffers: Davis Grimm and Maci Main.
Prior to joining MAC, Grimm served as legislative director for Rep. Ann Bollin and as legislative director for Rep. Greg VanWoerkom. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
Grimm will be the point staffer on MAC’s policy committees for Health and Human Services; Transportation and Infrastructure; and Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism.
He can be reached at grimm@micounties.org or 517-372-5375.
Prior to joining MAC, Main was the scheduler and constituent services aide in Sen. Dayna Polehanki’s office starting in 2024 before being promoted to legislative aide in 2026. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University, majoring in political science and psychology.
Main will be the point staffer on MAC’s policy committees for Judiciary and Public Safety and General Government.
She can be reached at mmain@micounties.org or 517-372-5377
State launches housing aid program for people in recovery
A new program designed to help individuals and families in substance use disorder treatment or recovery obtain or maintain stable housing has been started by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The Recovery Housing Assistance Fund (RHF) has $3.5 million in resources, which is expected to serve up to 1,000 people.
The RHF provides up to $4,000 per eligible client to address housing barriers that may jeopardize recovery or lead to homelessness. Eligible expenses include security deposits, first month’s rent, rental and utility arrears, mortgage payments, property taxes, court fees related to housing, and other housing-related costs that support housing stability.
Applications must be submitted by eligible treatment and recovery organizations on behalf of their clients. To qualify, individuals must be actively engaged in a treatment or recovery program paneled by a Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan (PIHP), be making positive progress toward recovery and demonstrate that unstable housing is a significant barrier to maintaining sobriety. Assistance is available once every 12 months.
Applications must be submitted by an eligible organization using the required referral form and supporting documentation. A complete list of eligible organizations, covered expenses and application requirements is available in the program instructions.
For assistance with any questions, contact MAC’s Dan Kelly at kelly@micounties.org.
Staff picks
- A Michigan constitutional convention could reshape local government under Article VII (Citizens Research Council of Michigan)
- Top marginal state individual income tax rates 2026 (map) (Tax Foundation)
- FEMA opens applications for storm, flooding relief in Michigan (9&10 News)
- 25 of America’s most beautiful places (CNN)