Overview
- House leaders filed suit against 31 state departments and agency heads seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction to halt spending.
- Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a formal opinion this week declaring the House Appropriations Committee’s December disapproval unconstitutional on separation‑of‑powers grounds.
- The State Budget Office moved to reactivate appropriation codes after the opinion, and departments and some nonprofits reported they were allowed to resume spending.
- Republicans, led by Speaker Matt Hall and Appropriations Chair Ann Bollin, argue a decades‑old statute authorizes the committee’s action and denounce the opinion as politically driven.
- Democrats, including Senate Appropriations Chair Sarah Anthony, say the opinion protects local governments and nonprofits, as the broader work‑projects system totals roughly $10 billion with $2.7 billion recently recommended for continuation.