Lawmakers OK $450M-plus in earmarks during late night budget vote

Lawmakers OK $450M-plus in earmarks during late night budget vote

By Beth LeBlanc and Craig Mauger, MediaNews Group Michigan lawmakers gave out roughly $462 million in earmarked spending grants to a total of 153 nonprofits and government units in a nearly $81 billion budget approved in the wee hours of Friday morning. The earmarks, sometimes referred to as pork or pet projects, ranged from local infrastructure grants to cash for hospitals to a $250 million mother-infant program, according to an initial review …