(MPRN-Lansing) State lawmakers will not try to block Gov. Rick Snyder’s plan to combine two of the state’s largest agencies. The Legislature begins its two-week spring break this week.
That means it won’t meet again until after the Department of Human Services and the Department of Community Health officially merge on April 10th. The new Department of Health and Human Services will become the state’s largest department. Some lawmakers have questioned whether the move will actually save money and improve services, as the governor has insisted.
“I simply didn’t feel that this merger of two huge departments had a plan to succeed,”
said state Rep. Henry Yanez (D-Sterling Heights), who introduced a resolution to block the move.
“We’re dealing with human beings here,” he said. “Michigan is not a laboratory and our most vulnerable citizens aren’t guinea pigs. We need to know that this plan is going to work, that no one is going to fall through the cracks.”
Some public employee unions say they’re concerned the move could lead to state worker layoffs. They say that’s especially concerning in a department like DHS, where caseloads are already difficult to manage. But Republican legislative leaders say they’re confident the merger will lead to more efficiencies.
