Lawmakers aim for July budget deal

LANSING, Mich. (WOOD) - House and Senate members are working against a self-imposed July 1 deadline to get a state budget done, which would be a dramatic improvement from recent years.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm told 24 Hour News 8 each side " is meeting with their caucus to put their reform plans on the table to gauge how much support there is for these plans."

Granholm said she spoke with Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop and House leader Kathy Angerer, who indicated their caucuses are working on the issue.

"Constitutionally," the governor said, "the legislature and the governor have until October 1 to get a budget done for next year. But this is an election year and on both ends of the Capitol a lot of folks would like to spend the summer campaigning rather that being here arguing about a budget and so the possibility of a July 1 deadline seems at least somewhat more reasonable."