State shutdown: One lawmaker is preparing for the worst

In the middle of last week, I tried to interview officials of several state agencies, asking what people should do now to prepare for a state shutdown, which may occur if the State Legislature doesn’t approve a new budget by Oct. 1. Within two hours, these interviews were basically shut down and most of my calls were referred to the office of Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

There, staffers told me that it was way too early to comment about a possible shutdown, and to do so, would create panic and worry among people. I did the story anyway, and to the best of my knowledge, it hasn’t spurred widespread panic and rioting in the streets.

What’s funny is that – despite the official protests about how premature those questions are – a state lawmaker this week introduced a bill to protect Michigan residents from any fees or charges, if a shutdown does occur. The bill by state Rep. Kenneth Korn, R-Frankenmuth, also gives residents a grace period to renew licenses, and allows businesses to continue to operate under existing permits.

It’s probably a long shot that the bill would be passed anytime soon, and lawmakers may end up passing a continuation budget to prevent a shutdown anyway. But at least one state lawmaker doesn’t think it’s too early to start worrying publically about a possible shutdown.