To help address a significant inefficiency in government, MMA is calling for increased General Fund support of the DEQ. Over the past decade, the Legislature has shifted the costs of environmental protection to fees and away from the General Fund. Currently, the DEQ receives just 5 percent of its funding from the General Fund, so significant programmatic resources are now wasted on bureaucratic processes associated with fee collection, rather than being dedicated to permit review efforts. MMA supports increased General Fund support of the DEQ to reduce inefficiency in government and increase Michigan’s competitiveness.