Communication's Jack Lessenberry comments on state legislature's, governor's, budget efforts...

The Detroit News, 4/16

"Legislators' agenda will test Gov. Rick Snyder's leadership"

by Karen Bouffard

Lawmakers return from their spring break Tuesday - and back into a tug of war with Gov. Rick Snyder over the state budget that started before their vacation. Snyder and the Legislature have agreed to get the budget done by June 1 - like last year when they delivered the fastest budget in three decades. But with a year's experience under their belts, Republican lawmakers are showing more independence. Wayne State University journalism lecturer and political columnist Jack Lessenberry said the Legislature has its own agenda, and that's nothing new. "It's incorrect to think (Snyder) has lost clout - the things he was doing earlier on were things the Legislature agreed with," Lessenberry said. "Legislators are always concerned with their own issues. "The Legislature will support him when it's in their best interest to do so."

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120416/POLITICS02/204160348#ixzz1sCX9NyF4