LANSING — Michigan lawmakers took a significant step toward finalizing a state budget plan Thursday night.

The Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate put out their joint spending proposal for more than $51 billion.

The plan avoids most of the cuts that were originally proposed by House Republicans.

Budgets for most state agencies were altered by only a few percent compared to last year’s spending.

One notable exception is the Department of Health and Human Services, which could see a 20% cut, mostly impacting Medicaid services.

The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity also could take a significant hit.

Lawmakers propose cutting a quarter of its budget, largely due to the reduction of several business incentive programs.

The House and Senate plan to vo

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