Michigan lawmakers plan to convene to lengthen Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency declaration amid the coronavirus pandemic but are at odds over the extension and whether the session is even necessary.
The Republican-led Legislature is scheduled to meet Tuesday, three weeks after last voting. Since then, one legislator has died from a suspected COVID-19 infection and another has tested positive, causing uneasiness over congregating in Lansing.
Stretching Whitmer’s emergency is important because the original declaration — set to expire — is the basis of nearly 30 subsequent executive orders, including those telling people to stay home and closing schools and businesses.
