Northwest Wayne News

The Michigan Legislature is looking to limit Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's emergency authority, saying she has made decisions about the fate of all Michiganders without consulting the people who represent them, the Legislature.

The House has adopted a bill that reduces the number of days that can go by before Whitmer requests an extension of an emergency declaration. The original state of emergency was set to expire on April 30. The governor has decided to extend the order 28 days, despite protests at the State Capitol in Lansing to oppose the stay-at-home orders.

House Speaker Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) said the governor has failed to balance health precautions with economic costs.

“The lives of Michigan residents and ensuring that people can put food on the table and our constitution are all still as essential today as they were before COVID-19 ever came into our state and this country," House Speaker Lee Chatfield told Michigan Radio.

The House also voted on a measure that would allow Republican leaders to pursue legal action against the governor. Republican leaders in the House and Senate did file suit against Whitmer on May 6, alleging that the extension of the emergency declaration is against the Michigan Constitution, according to CNN.

According to The New York Times, Michigan has experienced more COVID-19 deaths than any state, except New York or New Jersey. Whitmer said that by moving to end the stay-at-home order, Republicans were putting the lives and livelihoods of Michiganders at risk. She is opting instead for a slow-and-steady approach to reopening the state's economy.

“COVID-19 is an enemy that has taken the lives of more Michiganders than we lost during the Vietnam War,” Whitmer said in a statement published on Michigan.gov. “While some members of the Legislature might believe this crisis is over, common sense and all of the scientific data tells us we’re not out of the woods yet. By refusing to extend the emergency and disaster declaration, Republican lawmakers are putting their heads in the sand and putting more lives and livelihoods at risk. I’m not going to let that happen.”