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Senate approves amendment to State School Aid Act after rejecting education-related amendments
Summary
The Michigan Senate passed Senate Bill 56, an amendment to the State School Aid Act of 1979, after voting down a series of amendments on immigration compliance, diversity policies, reading supports and school safety funding. Final passage was 19-17 with one senator excused.
Senate Bill 56, a measure to amend the State School Aid Act of 1979, passed the Michigan Senate on March 17, 2025, by a vote of 19-17 with one senator excused.
The bill, taken up as calendar item number 2, drew multiple floor amendments that lawmakers debated before final passage. Proposals ranged from conditioning funding on compliance with federal immigration law to restoring school safety and mental-health funding and a $500 million reading-support package. Senators voted down each amendment and advanced the bill to final passage.
The matter matters because the State School Aid Act governs how state education dollars are distributed; changes to that statute affect funding flows to K-12 schools, community colleges and public universities across Michigan.
Senator Mark Runstead opened the amendment debate by offering Amendment No. 1, which he described as a requirement that “any public university or community college indicated that they won't follow our immigration laws shall not receive taxpayer…
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