The state Senate will meet on Thursday. This will be the first-time lawmakers return to the Capitol since a Michigan Supreme Court opinion. It declared Governor Gretchen Whitmer exceeded her authority by continuing to issue COVID-19 emergency orders.
This will be the first time lawmakers meet since the state Supreme Court declared Whitmer had usurped the role of the Legislature. But there’s still a lot of confusion, especially about when the court’s decision will take effect.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey has said statewide mask mandates are off the table – although the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has issued its own set of mask and distancing orders.
One potential area of agreement between Republicans and Governor Whitmer could be adopting a six-week extension of unemployment benefits for workers idled by the COVID-19 crisis. That’s one of the Whitmer orders affected by the court decision.