By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-845308.mp3
LANSING, MI – The state House Appropriations Committee plans to vote Wednesday to cut spending for the department of History, Arts and Libraries, but save it from elimination.
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The committee plans to roll back spending on the department by more than ten percent. Governor Granholm wants to get rid of the department altogether, and have its programs absorbed by other departments.
State Representative Shanelle Jackson chairs the subcommittee that oversees the department's budget. She says it's important to keep the department whole to preserve Michigan history.
She says the goal is to have people look at the department as a necessity in the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who have been touched by what it offers.
The Senate also wants to keep the department intact, but has proposed deeper budget cuts than the House plan. In the end, the Governor has final say about the future of the History, Arts and Libraries department.