Activists came to the state Capitol today to dramatize the need for tens of millions of dollars to fix Flint’s damaged water system.
A line of people passed little buckets of water from a faucet inside the Capitol building to a 20-gallon drum outside.
Ryan Bates with Michigan United says they wanted to show what it’s like to live in Flint without tap water people can trust.
Bates says state lawmakers should be doing more to help.
“There’s a bill in front of them that they can vote on today that would appropriate $123 million that could provide health care, infrastructure money for Flint,” says Bates. “They could do it, but they’re chicken.”
State lawmakers may vote in the next few weeks on sending more money to Flint.
Money for Flint is tied up in budget talks in Lansing. Those talks have become more complicated with word state revenues are below projections.
Michigan revenues are more than $300 million lower over this fiscal year and next than projected, forcing Gov. Rick Snyder and lawmakers to scale back the spending plan that's been in the works for months.
The Snyder administration and legislative economists agreed to revised numbers Tuesday, a key step before the next state budget is finalized in the coming weeks.
State Budget Director John Roberts says spending levels should still rise, but not as much as anticipated in the governor's proposal. Roberts says the administration remains committed to addressing Flint's water crisis, though it's possible some of money could be appropriated in the fiscal year starting in October instead of this year.
Activist Melissa Mays worries Flint’s money will be among the budget items on the table.
“I think very important things are going to get cut,” says Mays.
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver is urging state lawmakers not to reduce planning funding for the city’s water crisis.
"I would certainly hope that these potential budget cuts do not come at the expense of Flint residents. The people of Flint have suffered enough due to this man-made water disaster. It would be down right wrong to neglect the citizens of Flint yet again by not providing the funding needed to ensure that residents have safe drinking water, new pipes and the food, early childhood education and health care they need to mitigate and treat the effects of lead exposure.”
