LANSING (WWJ) -- Amid a federal government shutdown, a compromise has been made to keep the state government running in Michigan.
A temporary agreement is now in place, signed by the governor overnight.
Technically, the state government of Michigan did shut down at one minute after midnight Tuesday, as there wasn't a budget deal in place to keep the government going.
However, within two hours, both bodies of the Michigan legislature did come together to pass an extension of the current budget.
That bill then was signed at around 4 a.m. by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The budget will start with about $270 million or so from the general fund, and that'll keep it going for the next week or until about October 8.
They will have to have a budget deal by then, or the state government will shut down.
In a statement late in the afternoon on Tuesday, Whitmer said:
“Tomorrow, state government will continue and work will go on in the legislature to finalize a balanced, bipartisan state budget this week. We’re on the verge of making huge progress to fix our state and local roads, feed our kids at school, cut taxes for seniors and working families, protect access to affordable health care, and keep Michiganders safe in their communities. As drafting continues, I’m grateful to legislators on both sides of the aisle for their work and I am ready to conduct a final legal review and sign it into law after they send me the budget.
"Meanwhile, state government will continue providing uninterrupted services and all state employees will work tomorrow, getting things done for their fellow Michiganders. We’re almost there. Let's get it done.”
On the Republican side, Speaker Matt Hall also seemed optimistic that a bipartisan deal can be made, stating: “We made progress over the weekend eliminating waste, fraud and abuse so we can finally fund our top needs as a state. House Republicans have been fighting from day one to restore school safety and mental health, eliminate ghost employees, and bring the Hall Ethics Accountability and Transparency plan permanently to Lansing, and now we are seeing movement on these major priorities."
"With these reforms, this agreement is going to lower the cost of government and give Michigan families better value for their tax dollars. We are working hard to draft these bills now so we can lock in this plan and get state government moving in the right direction.”
Stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest updates.