Overview

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer told state employees their work and pay will continue while leaders finish drafting and legally reviewing final budget bills.
• Legislative leaders reported a bipartisan framework and said votes could come after midnight, with some members noting they have not yet seen final text.
• A continuation, or hold-over, funding measure is positioned in the Senate as a fallback to avoid service disruptions if the full budget is not enacted in time.
• Road funding remains a central tradeoff, including a proposed 24% wholesale marijuana tax projected to raise about $420 million, which drew protests from the cannabis industry.
• Education advocates pressed to preserve school meals, special education and mental-health funding, as leaders touted priorities such as roads, tax relief, Medicaid protections and free student breakfasts and lunches.