Part I: Michigan’s “Potholes and Pot” Budget

This year’s state budget will be remembered for fixing two long-standing issues — how we fund roads and how we use marijuana tax revenue.

 Clearer, fairer road funding — gas sales tax removed so fuel taxes finally go to roads.
 Schools protected (mostly), but lose about $400M due to a shift to university funding.
 Local governments take a real hit — no backfill for $93M in lost revenue sharing.
 No budget gimmicks; spending is sustainable and transparent.
 Despite claims of cuts, the budget is actually slightly larger when all dollars are counted.
 Bonus: Earmark transparency improved, but the rushed process and missing revenue estimates left some transparency gaps.

Bottom line: A cleaner, more honest budget that fixes old problems — but leaves local governments short and questions about full transparency unanswered.