Whitmer, Legislature debate 28-day extension of State of Emergency
DETROIT – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her emergency powers do not require a vote of the Legislature but she is still asking for that body to approve a 28-day extension of her emergency declaration.
As of Tuesday night there was no consensus but the Republican leadership and the governor said talks are ongoing.
READ: Extending Michigan’s State of Emergency is not the same thing as extending the stay-at-home order
“We’ve got some productive conversations going on. I know that they are interested in better understanding some of the work the MERC, the Economic Recovery Council is doing,” Whitmer said.
There is real pushback on this because many GOP legislators think there have been arbitrary executive orders and feel the reopening of the economy is not moving along at the speed it should.
Governor news conference today
The governor is set to speak at 3 p.m. Wednesday -- watch live here. Gov. Whitmer, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Director Jeff Donofrio and President of the Michigan AFL-CIO Ron Bieber will provide an update regarding the state’s response efforts on COVID-19.