Bill
HB 5619
The bill authorizes extensive state funding across agriculture, environment, rural development, and corrections for FY2026-2027, with strict reporting, accountability, and procurem
HB 5619 (Michigan) – 2025-2026 Omnibus Appropriations Bill
Summary for readers
Overview
- Purpose: To make, supplement, adjust, and consolidate the state of Michigan’s appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027 (with initial fiscal year alignment noted as 2026-2027 in sections). The bill functions as an appropriations act covering multiple state departments, the judicial branch, and the legislative branch, including provisions on spending controls, reporting, and program administration.
Key Provisions and Changes
- Structure: The bill provides:
- Article 1: Department-specific line-item appropriations (primarily for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and its divisions).
- Article 2: Department of Corrections line-item appropriations (covering administration, offender programs, field operations, correctional facilities, health care, IT, etc.).
- Additional sections establish program requirements, reporting, accountability, procurement preferences, and governance related to spending.
Major Departmental Areas in Article 1 (selected highlights)
- Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (Parts 1, 2, 3, etc.):
- Total gross appropriation for certain parts around $132.2 million, with a net adjusted appropriation around $131.9 million after interdepartmental transfers and internal adjustments.
- Funding by source includes State general fund/general purpose, federal revenues, special revenue funds (from various agriculture-related funds), and interdepartmental grant revenues.
- Substantive program areas include:
- Food safety and animal health (animal disease prevention, milk safety, food safety and quality assurance).
- Environment and sustainability (MAEAP programs, soil health, local conservation districts, pesticide and plant pest management).
- Agriculture development (various programs such as farmland preservation, farm-to-family initiatives, rural development, and grant programs).
- Laboratory and consumer protection (laboratory services, consumer protection, and USDA/HHS/EPA grant activity).
- Fairs and expositions (county fairs, standardbred awards and purses).
- One-time appropriations for a Michigan Animal Agriculture Alliance.
- Administrative and support provisions set forth:
- IT services, fee-collection authority for certain agricultural services, and the ability to expend revenues from those fees with carry-forward of fee revenue.
- Contingency authorizations for federal and local contingencies.
- Policy: no spending on DEI initiatives per specified federal executive orders, and anti-discrimination/anti-adversarial requirements.
Agriculture Development and Administration Provisions:
Local Conservation Districts:
County Fairs and Expositions:
Article 2 – Corrections (Selected Highlights)
- Total Corrections appropriation: Approximately $2.122 billion gross, with a general fund/general purpose component of about $2.086 billion.
- Major sub-accounts:
- Departmental administration and support: includes budgetary adjustments, training, staffing, and administrative operations; includes a negative "budgetary savings" line reflecting adjustments.
- Offender Success Administration: funding for education, community reintegration, higher education in prison, and related services.
- Field Operations Administration: community supervision, parole board operations, and related services; funding for supervision fees and related programs.
- Correctional Facilities Administration: funding for correctional facilities operations, facility maintenance, inmate services, and central records.
- Health Care: funding for clinical care for inmates, health administration, vaccination programs, Hepatitis C treatment, and health-related services; includes both general fund and federal contributions.
- Correctional Facilities (facilities counts by individual prison) and IT: detailed line-item funding by facility with associated costs; includes maintenance and capital needs.
- Provisions on Reporting and Accountability:
- Requires department internet reporting and public archiving of reports; quarterly workforce data reporting; policy-change reporting; and anti-discrimination in communications with legislators.
- Requires procurement and contracting safeguards, including E-Verify for contractors and restrictions on contracting with foreign adversaries.
- Establishes legacy costs accounting (pension and retiree health) with estimated totals.
- Work-project designations and reporting: unexpended funds designated as work projects with completion dates.
General Provisions and Cross-cutting Themes
- Reporting and transparency: A broad suite of reporting requirements to standard recipients (senate/house appropriations committees and subcommittees, fiscal agencies, etc.), including department scorecards, travel, grants oversight, and out-of-state travel reporting.
- Procurement and local preference: Emphasis on supporting Michigan-based vendors and veterans-owned businesses when prices and quality are comparable; preference to domestic goods when feasible.
- Workforce and space utilization: Requirements to maximize efficiency, monitor timesheets for field/off-site work, and maintain occupancy targets (80% in-person presence, 80% occupancy thresholds).
- Compliance and oversight: Precontract risk assessments; grant recipient audits with access for the Auditor General; annual grant audits and reporting, including program outcomes and expenditures.
- Contingency authorities: Federal and local contingency authorization with transfer requirements to other line items before expenditure.
- Eligibility and immigration-related provisions: Prohibitions on funding for non-U.S. citizens unless qualified aliens; limits on expending funds for certain non-equine purposes from the agriculture fund unless approved.
Effective Dates and Scope
- The bill applies to the 2026-2027 fiscal year and appropriates funds across multiple departments, with specific line-item budgets and program authorizations for 2027.
- Several sections set out long-term work projects (through 2028-2029) and ongoing grant programs (e.g., MAEAP, food investment, conservation districts, and county fairs).
Impact and Considerations
- Financial: Substantial appropriation across agriculture, environmental programs, rural development, and corrections; creation of work-project funds with multi-year completion horizons.
- Operational: Requires ongoing reporting, public accessibility of data, and performance tracking. Establishes governance around grants and contracting to improve accountability.
- Policy: Tightens procurement and staff oversight; limits certain diversity/EI initiatives per specified federal guidance; requires E-Verify for contractors.
This summary highlights the bill’s core intent to fund and regulate Michigan’s agriculture, environmental sustainability, rural development, and corrections programs for the next fiscal year, with strong emphasis on transparency, accountability, and performance reporting.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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