Appropriations: higher education; appropriations for fiscal year 2026-2027; provide for. Amends secs. 236 & 241 of 1979 PA 94 (MCL 388.1836 & 388.1841).
HB 5618 is a higher education appropriations bill that amends the State School Aid Act of 1979 to set Michigan’s fiscal year 2026-2027 funding for public universities, student aid, and related higher education programs. It establishes a total higher education gross appropriation of about $2.337 billion and distributes funding among the state’s public universities, including operating support, MPSERS retirement-related payments for certain institutions, and North American Indian tuition waiver costs. Michigan State University also receives dedicated funding for AgBioResearch and Extension.
The bill also funds state and regional higher education programs, including database modernization and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, as well as the Martin Luther King, Jr. - Cesar Chavez - Rosa Parks program. In addition, it appropriates $469.5 million for grants and financial aid programs such as the Tuition Incentive Program, tuition grants for children of veterans and surviving officers, Project GEAR-UP, Michigan Achievement Scholarships, and Michigan Reconnect. The bill allows up to $10 million from Michigan Achievement Scholarships to be used for skills scholarships and requires any unspent general fund scholarship money at year-end to be deposited into the Postsecondary Scholarship Fund.
In terms of state law, HB 5618 updates sections 236 and 241 of the State School Aid Act to revise the annual higher education funding schedule and the method of distributing university appropriations. It continues the practice of paying public university appropriations in 11 equal monthly installments beginning October 16, 2025, and preserves the special accrual treatment for July and August payments for most institutions, with Wayne State University treated differently. The bill also includes a one-time allocation of up to $7.6 million for participating public universities to offset normal cost contributions to the Michigan Public School Employees’ Retirement System.
Because no committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, there is no documented debate or roll-call history to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill’s content, it appears to be a routine but significant budget measure focused on maintaining university operations, student financial aid, and targeted higher education initiatives rather than creating new policy programs. Any contention would likely center on the size and distribution of appropriations, the balance between general fund and restricted funding, and the use of scholarship dollars for skills-based awards, but those issues are not reflected in the available record.
HB 5618 would amend the State School Aid Act’s higher education appropriations sections to authorize and distribute fiscal year 2026-2027 funding for Michigan public universities, student aid, and related programs. It affects the funding levels and payment timing for public universities, including operating support, retirement-related reimbursements, tuition waiver costs, and special program funding for MSU, while also directing scholarship and grant money into named aid programs and the Postsecondary Scholarship Fund.
No committee discussion or vote history was provided, so the record does not show formal support or opposition. The bill’s structure suggests a generally pragmatic, budget-oriented approach that is likely to be viewed as necessary for maintaining university operations and student aid, with the main sentiment being administrative and fiscal rather than ideological.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. If debated, likely issues would include the overall size of the higher education appropriation, how funds are split among universities and aid programs, the use of state general fund dollars versus restricted funds, and the provision allowing up to $10 million in skills scholarships from Michigan Achievement Scholarships. However, none of these concerns are attributed to any particular legislator, institution, or stakeholder in the available record.