Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey presented the Senate Republican caucus’s proposal to return Michiganders to the workplace and bring the state’s economy back online.
The Michigan Chamber is encouraged by the Senate’s action and currently analyzing their proposal. The Senate’s proposal, referred to as Open Michigan Safely, is summarized as “relying on measurable data points to serve as indicators of decreased risk. The proposal is structured in phases that outline conditions in the state, suggest safe business operations, and propose levels of citizen activity.”
The proposal also calls for adopting updated versions of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Administration’s (CISA) guidelines on essential workforce which is something the Chamber has been strongly advocating for.
In addition to offering a phased economic restart based on certain benchmarks, the plan takes into consideration differences in COVID-19 case numbers across different regions of the state.
In related news, Governor Whitmer announced that she and Governor’s from 7 surrounding states will work in close coordination to reopen the economy in the Midwest region. It was said that the group of Governors will closely examine at least these four factors when determining when best to reopen our economy:
- Sustained control of the rate of new infections and hospitalizations.
- Enhanced ability to test and trace.
- Sufficient health care capacity to handle resurgence.
- And best practices for social distancing in the workplace.
For more information on these developments please contact Dan Papineau at dpapineau@michamber.com