After a lot of action in the Spring, the state legislature has been quiet on COVID for months.
Instead they’ve focused on legal and political battles.
Legislators say that gridlock over the pandemic is likely to continue.
Republican State Senator Wayne Schmidt thinks Governor Gretchen Whitmer relies too much on executive orders.
He supported some of the early ones last Spring. Now he says those orders -- coming from a state agency instead -- are confusing.
Like earlier this month when restaurants were required to collect customers’ contact info. That was relaxed after initial blowback.
Schmidt says that’s not a problem with the guideline itself, it’s the way it was made.
“No consultation with the restaurant industry, no consultation with the legislature... Just keep governing by executive order,” said Schmidt.
Schmidt admits the Republicans in Lansing have made this process hard too.
And because of that, he says ‘govern by executive order’ is how Whitmer operates.
Now Schmidt and other republican lawmakers say they don’t have much of a working relationship with the Governor.
“The governor campaigned on building bridges, and she has destroyed bridge after bridge after bridge," says Schmidt. "It’s like her demolition crew of an administration can’t get enough of it.”
Triston Cole is the outgoing Republican State House Majority Floor Leader. He says the Governor repeatedly leaves lawmakers out of the process.
Whitmer said she’s tried to get their input.
At a campaign event in Traverse City in October, she said she holds meetings with health officials on the pandemic but:
“Sometimes the legislators show up, sometimes they don’t," Whitmer says. "I remain, extending a hand because we all need to be in this together.”
Whitmer added that republicans weren’t focused on the pandemic, they were focused on campaigning.
Now that the election’s over, House Democrats say Republicans haven’t moved on.
Michigan’s House and Senate Republican leadership met with President Donald Trump before the state certified it’s election results.
Here’s Democratic State Rep Sarah Anthony of Lansing.
“Instead of working to advocate for additional COVID relief funds, that would help working families and small businesses in our community, they’ve decided to waste time and disrespect the will of Michigan voters,” said Anthony.
On twitter the house speaker later defended the meeting saying he in fact used it to ask for federal COVID relief funds.
What state leaders are doing now is asking people to follow public health guidelines.
That means avoid groups, wash your hands, and wear a mask.
But Christine Greig says that’s all talk. She’s the outgoing State House Democratic Leader.
Prior to our interview she checked in on a committee meeting held in-person at the Capitol.
“And then I see three out of four House Republicans not wearing a mask,” Greig said.