A judge on Tuesday blocked Michigan from sending more taxpayer money to two baseball stadium projects, ruling the earmarks may have violated the state Constitution because they lacked the required supermajority support in the Legislature.

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) says House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) gave her a "sore loser vibe" after the House Appropriations Committee rejected "work project" dollars from Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. Legislative Democrats right now are using the recent headline to heavily target House Republicans.

Senate Approps Panel Passes House & Senate Earmark Request Bills

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget signed Tuesday includes 200 legislative earmarks valued at $275.4 million, far less than the $2 billion in special projects found in the FY 2024 budget when the state was awash with federal COVID spending. MIRS’ spreadsheet outlining all the projects can be found here.