The legislative committee looking into the state’s COVID-19 response meets again Monday. Top health officials in Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration will face questions from the committee.
State Representative Matt Hall, (R-Marshall) chairs the joint House and Senate COVID-19 committee.
He expects there will be questions about infections in nursing homes and why some parts of the economy were allowed to re-open while similar businesses remained in shutdown. [For more Michigan news right on your phone, subscribe to the Stateside podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts today]
“You know, you can use a canoe, but you can’t use a motorboat,” Hall said. “This store can stay open. This one is closed. I just want to understand better how those decisions are made, and I just want to understand better how those decisions were made and what impact data and science had on those decisions.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services chief quickly used a separate authority to issue a similar set of emergency health orders.
“I expect there would be questions about those orders, too, and talk and conversation about those,” Hall says.
But Hall says he does not want the effort to become embroiled in election year politics, and does not expect to issue findings before November 3.
“Because I just don’t want it to come across as political or get lost in the election because this really to me is about smarter choices, smarter policies to protect lives and livelihoods in Michigan,” he said.
This will be the first time Whitmer administration officials have appeared before the committee since the Michigan Supreme Court struck down how she’s used emergency powers.
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