BREAKING: State(Michigan) officially shut down

[SpartanDem]

Source: Detroit Free Press

LANSING -- State government was officially shut down after midnight, as state lawmakers failed to agree on either a full or temporary budget for the new fiscal year.

The Republican-controlled Senate held final action on an interim budget until after the midnight deadline, over objections from Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who accused them of shirking their responsibility to keep state government from shutting down.

The Senate adjourned until 12:15 a.m., when it was presumed negotiations would continue between the House, Senate and Granholm.

Less than an hour earlier, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, accused Granholm and Senate Democrats of sabotaging progress on a final budget agreement, although key budget bills remained stalled in the Democratic controlled House.

Wednesday afternoon, Granholm notified some 51,000 state employees that they would be laid off at 12:01 a.m. if no budget was in place






Read more: http://freep.com/article/20090930/NEWS06/91001001/1318/State-officially-shut-down