Legislative 'Pork' Set At $145M In House's Budget

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/21/2026) A House subcommittee advanced a Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 spending bill on Tuesday that includes a $145.3 million fund for legislative “pork” projects known formally as the Legislative Spending Transparency Fund (LSTF).

Prior to House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township)'s tenure, more than $1 billion would be added to the budget literally hours before a final spending plan was adopted, to the frustration of good government types.

This year, with money tight and Hall creating an exhaustive hearing process for all of these local projects lawmakers want funded, everything is going through this House Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) Appropriations Subcommittee, led by Rep. Nancy Jenkins-Arno (R-Clayton). The amount available for these projects is coming from lapsed or unused economic development funds, while directing another $206.7 million back to the General Fund (GF).

After advancing HB 5610, the panel took more than an hour of additional testimony from members interested in a piece of that $145.3 million for their community. No decisions on the actual projects were made as of Tuesday.

The LEO budget that moved out of subcommittee Tuesday advanced a revised FY 2027 budget that scaled back overall spending while shifting priorities toward small business support and workforce programs.

The H-1 substitute for HB 5610 reduces overall gross funding by $279 million, including a $115.3 million drop in GF dollars and a $316.7 million decrease in federal funding. Restricted funding, however, increases by $155.1 million as lawmakers rely more heavily on dedicated revenue sources.

The plan also trims the department’s workforce, cutting 196 full-time positions to better align staffing levels with current vacancies and filled positions.

Much of the reduction comes from eliminating or scaling back underused or unspent funding. The budget includes $289.2 million in reductions to match spending levels reported in the current fiscal year, along with the removal of nearly $110 million tied to several programs, including the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, the Office of Global Michigan, and arts and cultural grants.

At the same time, lawmakers redirected funding to new priorities. The plan includes $40.4 million from the 21st Century Jobs Trust Fund for small business support, including grants, technical assistance and incubator programs. Another $40.4 million is allocated to the Going Pro workforce training program, with at least half of the funding reserved for new or first-time participants.

The budget also sets aside $15 million in GF dollars to help individuals comply with new federal work requirements tied to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Tourism funding is also restructured. The Pure Michigan campaign would continue at $20 million, but funding would shift entirely to state-restricted dollars, eliminating general fund, local and private funding streams.

During the meeting, Rep. Jasper Martus (D-Flushing) raised questions about whether staffing cuts could eliminate positions that are simply slow to fill, rather than unnecessary. The Republican majority in 2025 and 2026 has placed a premium on eliminating “ghost employees” from the budget.

“I don't believe in ghosts, but you can't kill them twice,” Martus said. “I would just like to see a little bit more working out, making sure that we're not eliminating positions that are taking a little bit longer to fill.”

Despite these concerns, the subcommittee adopted the budget without amendments and reported it to the full House Appropriations Committee.