Gov. Whitmer, again, vetoes bill that would limit health department’s pandemic powers

(The Center Square) – For the second time, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has vetoed a GOP bill that would have prohibited the Michigan health department from extending COVID-19 orders past 28 days without legislative approval.

Whitmer rejected nearly identical legislation last year — but this time, the GOP tied the measure to $347 million in spending on COVID-19 contact tracing, which is now in limbo.

Earlier this month, Whitmer vetoed $841 million in federal school funding tied to GOP bills, also in limbo.

The roughly $1.2 billion currently blocked is representative of the fight between the GOP and Whitmer over the governor’s COVID-19 response.

“Unfortunately, epidemics are not limited to 28 days,” Whitmer wrote in a letter to senators Wednesday. “We should not limit our ability to respond to them.”

Rep. Andrew Fink, R-Hillsdale, said Whitmer is ignoring that the legislature could always have extended the emergency.

“You have to remember that the word emergency is in there. An emergent phenomenon is different from an ongoing phenomenon,” Fink said in a statement. “The legislature has been in session this whole time. We’re able to make policy about what’s appropriate during a pandemic … the administration has decided to read the legislature out of governing during any kind of emergency.”

Since Whitmer obtained pandemic powers over a year ago, she’s refused to relinquish any powers she’s used to criminalize for up to eight months family gatherings, operate motorboats, and shutter industries she deemed “nonessential.”

GOP lawmakers have contended that the Whitmer administration has “gone it alone” in fighting COVID-19 and issuing restrictions on gatherings without input from the legislature.

After the COVID-19 pandemic began, Whitmer issued nearly 200 executive orders, even after the legislature voted to end her powers. After the Michigan Supreme Court tossed many of her orders on Oct. 2, and advised she work with lawmakers to protect Michiganders, Whitmer turned to a 1978 law that authorized the state health department director to issue orders to protect public health during a pandemic.

The business community, hard-hit after a year of restrictions, is tiring of the orders.

Michigan Chamber President and CEO Rich Studley tweeted of the veto, “After over a year of state govt by executive edict, this veto was less about public health and more about one person doing whatever it takes to retain unilateral control over the daily lives of 10 million Michiganders. Extremely disappointing!!”

While neighboring states such as Indiana are beginning to remove pandemic restrictions and facemask edicts, it’s unclear how long Michiganders will live under pandemic powers.

That may be decided in court, as the Michigan Senate authorized a second lawsuit against Whitmer earlier this month.

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