A combination of bills have been going through the statehouse, and some of it is actually on a temporary 30-day budget. Here are the headlines from the reporters who have been following the details:

• Detroit Free Press.
• Detroit News.
• Lansing State Journal.

But yes. The state of Michigan has now technically shut down twice for budget issues – once in 2007 and once in 2009.

It’s been years since I covered government issues, and my experience with that at The Monroe Evening News was limited to the communities of Bedford Township, Whiteford Township, Luna Pier and Erie Township.

Only one state lawmaker even knows who I am enough to say “Hi, Paula!” when we cross paths at community events. I’ve met Gov. Jennifer Granholm and a handful of other state officials, but they have no reason to remember me. Some of them probably thought I was a secretary when they stopped by the newsroom to ask for another reporter or editor.

So my opinion on the state budget mess has absolutely no leverage with anyone who can do anything about it.

I know that a lot of groups also are campaigning and appealing for this or that program, service or agency and all that chatter is becoming just a bunch of static as the lawmakers huddle for their negotiations.

But my wish list is: Save the Michigan Promise Grant for the college students.

My family doesn’t benefit from that money. The rules were rewritten with the class of 2007. My daughter, under the previous incarnation of the program, would have been given $1,000 toward her college expenses out-of-state as compared to the $2,500 that went to in-state schools. Under Michigan Promise Grant rules starting with the class of 2007, my daughter got NOTHING by attending college in Indiana. In fact the rules were changed only six months before her graduation date – at which point many students in her class had finished college tours and applications and were waiting for acceptance letters.

So I’m already ticked off about a broken promise to my daughter. She was one of the students who was told in middle school as this program got phased in that she would get money for college if she met all the requirements. And the class of 2006 did have a partial grant for out-of-state schooling.

But you’ve heard me rant about that situation before.

So why do I want to save the Michigan Promise Grant?

Answer: Where do you expect Michigan families to make up that money?

I’ve read some chatter that these were middle class students who would have gone to college anyway, and otherwise had the means to pay for their education.

But those who follow that line of thinking are not paying attention to that financial realities that today’s college families have to deal with.

Reality check: The recession eroded the financial investments that families would have used to pay for college out of their own funds. The recession also messed with the investment funds that the colleges and foundations use to come up with cash for their individual student awards.

Reality check: Today’s students are not in a situation where they can “work their way through college.” Specifically: Paid summer jobs / career internships that used to be a source of income have morphed to unpaid internships and in many cases have now become a “pay to play” situation. My daughter avoided paying an agency thousands of dollars to give her a guaranteed placement as a professional intern this past summer. However, it is a fact that this scenario exists and it is difficult to find a placement out of those networks. My daughter ended up with an unpaid internship found on her own efforts, and her grandparents paid her college tuition so she could earn three credit hours as is recommended in those cases. So she still had “pay to play.”

Reality check: The scholarships that are designated for academic, community service and financial need are flooded with applications. Back in the 1980s, when I went to college, someone with my daughter’s credentials should have been able to earn and bundle up enough partial scholarships to have college practically paid for. But we have followed up on every available scholarship lead on behalf of my daughter, and still have to sign for some student loans because the scholarships are so competitive now.

Where would I find the money to fund Michigan Promise Grant?

I would be in favor of any of these ideas:

• Sales tax on pop. (And we do drink pop).
• Bottle returns expanded to bottled water, tea and other beverages because the unclaimed deposits do go somewhere. (And I generally detest this bottle return law).
• Sales tax on live entertainment (This would most certainly include the NASCAR tickets my family buys every year).

Maybe there are other ideas that would work.

But here’s my caveat: Any increased tax or special tax that would be designated for Michigan Promise Grant has to be earmarked for that fund.

Otherwise, we’ll end up in the situation we’ve got now – with a bunch of newly franchised voters mad as hell at broken promises from their state government.

If you have any business or errands that would normally be taken handled in early October with a state of Michigan office of any kind, I suggest you arrange those appointments as soon as possible – as in before Wednesday Sept. 30.

Reason: there is no budget agreement yet in Lansing for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

I know about the protests and rallies that are taking place at the statehouse to save funding for this or that program. The details of who and how will be affected by the two-year budget are yet to be determined – but it’s pretty safe to say that at least one group, industry or demographic will not be happy with the resulting changes in services or taxes when it all settles out.

In the meantime, I want you to remember what happened in 2007 when the Michigan state government actually did shut down for a time on Oct. 1.

Residents, businesses and taxpayers got very short notice in 2007 – Sept. 28 is the date stamp I’m finding in my archives - on what services would be available, what services would not be available, and how to take care of routine business with the state government should a shutdown actually occur on Oct. 1.

Don’t wait until next week. Take care of your errands this week if you can.

Are you watching the state budget headlines in Lansing? The state’s next budget cycle starts Oct. 1.

The Detroit Free Press now has a page called Ticking Toward Shutdown.

And here’s the latest from Lansing State Journal.

• Detroit Free Press report.
• Detroit News report.
• Lansing State Journal report.
• Gov. Granholm’s press release.

Jacob at Laissez-faire on blogsmonroe is wondering what he’s going to get in return for the additional bite into his paycheck.

Yes, you will notice the difference in your next paycheck.

• Those who currently receive WIC, food stamps or cash assistance on their Bridge Card will continue to get their benefits. But in most cases, no new applications will be processed.
• Child support that is paid under existing arrangements will be credited and paid to parents as usual.
• Existing unemployment benefits will be paid; but long delays should be expected by those who have to file new requests.

• The state will not process requests from funeral homes for burial fees for indigent people.
• State welcome centers and rest stops, including the one on northbound I-75 near milepost 10, will be closed with no bathroom facilities or parking lots open.
• Taxpayers will still have to meet their deadlines for making tax payments, yet, the state will not make refunds for any overpayments.

During a blizzard warning, I know I have to walk to work and will stay in the office all day because the snowplows will have a hard time keeping the roads and parking lots cleared. So I get my winter boots and scarf and pack a lunch box and walk about a mile from home to the Monroe Evening News building.

What am I supposed to do during a state government shutdown warning?

Evening News Reporter Stephanie Ariganello has been trying to find out how the threatened state government shutdown will affect Monroe County. She filed this report today at monroenews.com.

I’ve also been poking through the news reports and michigan.gov to try to find details that would directly affect local families and their pocketbooks. But I haven’t found a lot of concrete information.

The most practical advice I’ve seen for state residents all week was get your vehicle registration and driver license renewals taken care of by the end of the business day today if your birthday is coming up soon! I don’t think interruptions in cigarette, liquor and lottery ticket sales will be a big problem for Monroe County residents, who will likely drive to Toledo for those purchases. And I would not be surprised if those who planned a visit to a Detroit casino next week will simply drive to Windsor instead. (update later in the day: looks like the casinos got a bye)

It’s now just after 4 p.m. Friday afternoon.

And this is the best information we have available?

State workers told to stay home Monday and the text of the memo as posted at the Lansing State Journal.

Oh, yes, there’s a 4-page pdf file at michigan.gov that’s intended to answer payroll questions for state employees.