The Michigan Senate and House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a budget Wednesday designed to fill shortfalls created by the coronavirus pandemic, including by putting $1 billion to go toward health services and $765 million for schools.

These and other allocations in the budget came from an agreement reached between Republicans, Democrats and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to make up the $2.2 billion budget gap created by the COVID-19 crisis. The funding comes from $1.3 billion in federal aid, $483 million in hard cuts and $350 million in funds taken from the state’s “rainy day” fund.

Whitmer, legislature reach deal to address coronavirus shortfall in 2020 budget

The spending plan, which aimed to balance the budget for the current fiscal year after sharp declines in expected state tax revenue due to the pandemic, was a victory over “the plague of partisanship,” said Sen. Curtis Hertel, D-Lansing, the minority vice chair for the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“We lived in a nation plagued by a virus, and too often plagued by partisanship,” Hertel told his fellow senators. “This is a great example of public servants coming together to solve a problem. If we had told you that we would come together two months ago to make this work, you would have called us crazy. I hope that this is a positive sign for the future.”

House Bill 5265, sponsored by House Appropriations Chair Rep. Shane Hernandez, R-Port Huron, takes the billions in federal funding to supplement the state’s budget and slashes $538 million from the state’s general fund. The biggest adjustment in the budget is a commitment of $1 billion of federal funds to the Department of Health and Human Services, which replaces $426 million of the state’s general fund commitment to the health department.

Large federal funding commitments to the health department include $600 million toward food assistance and $683 million toward Medicaid, the latter of which alleviates the state’s contribution into the program by $195 million.

Senate Bill 373, sponsored by Senate Appropriations Chair Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, increases state spending on education by $9 million, with $8 million going to K-12 schools and $1 million toward higher education. This means Michigan is using $512 million of its Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund on K-12 schools and $200 million on higher education.

The federal relief funds also go toward an additional $53 million for hazard pay for teachers. Federal send a net $110 increase in per-pupil payments to districts, making up for $256 million in cuts from state funding and bringing the total to $350 per pupil for the rest of the fiscal year.

It sends $150 million to local governments, making up for a $256 million cut in state funding.

The budget also swapped $200 million of federal funding in for what was previously $200 million in state funding.

It also swapped in federal funding for $475 in public safety costs now eligible for federal coronavirus funds.

Cutting money from the budget was a difficult process and doing so in the middle of the fiscal year took understanding and cooperation between the Senate and Whitmer’s office, Stamas said on the Senate floor.

“Every budget is a statement of priorities,” Stamas said. “In the face of unprecedented crisis, this agreement we put before you shows our commitment.”

The Senate approved both bills 36-1 in the morning session and sent the bills back to the Michigan House of Representatives based on minor language adjustments. The House approved both revised bills Wednesday evening by 104 votes with five representatives not voting. They head next to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for signature.

The only dissenting vote in the Senate came from Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, who cited concerns about using too much of the rainy day fund. Hertel noted that there was a balance of about $1.1 billion in the fund as of September 2019.

“We could’ve made the decision to spend more of the rainy day fund,” Hertel said. “We’ve left ourselves lots of options moving forward…it’s hard to argue to Michiganders that it’s not raining right now.”

Federal dollars allowed the legislature to avoid “hard cuts” in the budget, said Stamas, adding his Senate peers are preparing for those cuts to be needed for the following fiscal year’s budget starting Oct. 1. The projected shortfall for the 2021 fiscal year is $3.1 billion.

“Certainly, there are difficult decisions down the line,” Hertel said.

COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and carry hand sanitizer with you when you go into places like stores.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also issued an executive order requiring people to wear face coverings over their mouth and nose while inside enclosed, public spaces.

Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

Read more from MLive:

Thinking about getting a coronavirus test? 4 pieces of advice from Michiganders who have

Gary Peters ‘looks forward’ to debate after challenge from John James in Michigan Senate race

Mask mandate debate echoes seat belt battles of the 1980s