Rep. Cambensy Helps Pass $9.4 Million Budget For Upper Peninsula Projects

LANSING, Mich – The Michigan House of Representatives passed a budget last week that includes investments for the economy, child care and infrastructure.

In total, $9.4 million in grant funds for the Upper Peninsula was included in the budget.

We spoke with State Representative Sara Cambensy exclusively to get details on the budget process.

“I think having more money makes it a lot easier to negotiate and work together and this year with the federal stimulus dollars, we went into the budget, just our annual budget, with money to be comfortable with,” Rep. Cambensy said. “It gives us a lot of opportunities to look at special projects in our district and say “How can we bring some of that money back home?” and we worked really hard and together at it.”

In Marquette, the Shiras Planetarium was awarded $250,000 for a new projector.

The non-profit Steve Mariucci Beacon House will receive approximately $3,000,000 to help wrap up construction.

Cambensy said when Republicans and Democrats work together, it reminds elected officials who they are working for and makes the job easier to complete

‘I think that if you always remember who you work for, we work for the people, and we need to do their work. At the end of the day, like in a marriage or friendship, you have to compromise and work things out. Things you might disagree on, you have to choose your battles,” said Rep. Cambensy. “In Lansing, we are doing a really good job of showing that we can do that for the people we work for and I think all of us down here think Lansing can influence Washington in terms of a working relationship and how to get stuff done.”

U.P. roads will also benefit from the grant funding.

$6,000,000 was also awarded to Luce County for upgrades to County Road 407 from Deer Park to the Alger County line near Grand Marais.