Michigan Republicans are pushing back against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) stay-at-home orders.
The state’s legislature — currently controlled by the Republican party — will reconsider Whitmer’s powers on Friday due to her policies which have been described as “aggressive.”
On Thursday, Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R) took to Twitter to announce the session.
“The House [and] Senate will convene tomorrow to create a special oversight committee on COVID-19 to examine our government’s response,” Chatfield tweeted. “Michigan needs to handle this pandemic seriously yet properly. It’s what the people deserve, and we will see that it happens.”
https://twitter.com/LeeChatfield/status/1253345961935585282
Although Michigan has one of the highest coronavirus infection statistics in the country, protesters have railed against the governor’s stay-at-home orders as they have argued they are too strict.
So, the Senate will be looking into two bills — the 1945 Emergency Powers of the Governor Act and the Emergency Management Act of 1976. Changes to the two bills could ultimately restrict Whitmer’s governing powers.
As the state House develops a committee to oversee the state’s handling of the coronavirus, the Senate is analyzing a possible repeal of the 1945 act which would put an end to the governor’s extensive right to declare an emergency amid a “great public crisis.”
During an interview with the Detroit Free Press, state Sen. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) argued that they do not believe the law applies to the pandemic the state is facing. According to Barrett, the move is an attempt to balance the level of power between the governor and legislature.
“The 1945 law is more vague and less constrained. We do not feel that law applies to the situation we’re facing today,” Barrett said last week. “And we feel that we have a balance of power in state government, and we need to put more legislative control into that power balance.”
The Senate is also looking at the option to amend the 1976 act in an effort to put a stipulation on the amount of time a governor can maintain a emergency declaration.
As it stands, Whitmer can only enforce an emergency declaration for 28 days. However, changes to the 1976 bill would cut that time in half.
The Senate’s move comes just days after Whitmer discussed her intention to extend the current stay-at-home order which is set to expire on May 1.
Despite the scheduled session, Republicans will be fighting an uphill battle as Whitmer has said she would veto the legislation.
On Friday morning, Whitmer announced stay-at-home orders would be extended until May 15.