Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Appropriations subcommittee hears presentations on water affordability; advocates seek $60 million in FY2026
Summary
Presenters told a House Appropriations Subcommittee the state lacks a permanent water-assistance program, estimated 371,000 Michigan households would qualify for aid and asked the panel to include $60 million in the FY2026 Health and Human Services budget; members raised concerns about landlord responsibility and regional opt-outs.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services heard testimony Thursday on statewide water affordability and a request for emergency and longer-term funding to help low-income households avoid service interruptions.
Sarah Rubino, representing the Michigan section of the American Water Works Association, asked the subcommittee to include $60,000,000 in the fiscal year 2026 Health and Human Services budget to support water assistance programs across the state. "Until a permanent statewide solution is established, we're respectfully requesting that the subcommittee include 60,000,000 in the fiscal year 20 26 health and human services budget to support water assistance programs across the state," Rubino said.
Advocates and researchers provided the committee with data on need and program experience. Maggie Ploone of Public Sector Consultants said PSE collected rates from roughly 500 utilities (about 85 percent of the state’s population) and estimated about 371,000 households would qualify for a program that limits…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
