The Republican-majority Michigan legislature will meet for session Friday to take up measures challenging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the agenda in the Michigan Senate are bills that would limit the governor’s authority to declare a state of emergency without input from the legislature by repealing the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act of 1945, and limiting the number of days the governor can unilaterally declare a state of emergency from 28 days to 14.

Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown said the governor will veto the Senate legislation if it gets to her desk.

“Governor Whitmer will not sign a bill that would diminish her authority to protect citizens of this state from a deadly disease that has already killed thousands of people in Michigan," she said.

The votes will come ahead of the governor’s expected announcement on a path forward for reopening the economy as the COVID-19 situation in Michigan improves. On Wednesday, Whitmer said some form of a stay-at-home order would likely have to remain in effect past the end of the month.

The current stay-at-home order in effect through April 30 has drawn heavy criticism from Republican lawmakers, and thousands of people showed up in downtown Lansing last week to protest the order with a traffic jam and rally on the Michigan Capitol lawn.

The Michigan House will also convene Friday to create a joint oversight committee on how the administration has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senate is expected to concur in the resolution once it passes the House.

“Michigan needs to handle this pandemic seriously yet properly,” House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, said on social media. “It’s what the people deserve, and we will see that it happens.”

Democratic lawmakers decried the decision to call the legislature into in-person session during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it a political decision that puts lawmakers at risk of exposure.

“Republicans should save their stunts for a time when Michiganders’ lives aren’t on the line,” Senate Minoirty Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, said in a statement. "The last thing Michigan needs is a bunch of senators in a room congregating, risking exposure and potentially taking the virus back to their constituents and communities.”

The decision to hold session was made without any input from Democrats, House Democratic Leader Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills, said in a statement. She said the resolution proposed in the House “pushes forward a false narrative of distrust in our governor’s response that will ultimately cost more lives.”

One progressive group, Progress Michigan, is considering litigation against House and Senate leadership for continuing to hold session in person during the COVID-19 pandemic instead of making accommodations to meet remotely.

"Elected officials should not have to choose between their health and representing their constituents,” the group’s executive director, Lonnie Scott, said in a statement.

Lawmakers last met April 7 to approve a 23-day extension of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s initial state of emergency declaration, extending the order through April 30.

Only lawmakers, the presiding officer and essential staff were present on the floor at any given time, and many wore face masks and gloves. Similar precautionary measures to limit spread of coronavirus will be taken at Friday’s session, said Amber McCann, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake.

As of Thursday, there have been 35,291 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan and 2,977 deaths, according to state data.

CORONAVIRUS PREVENTION TIPS

In addition to washing hands regularly and not touching your face, officials recommend practicing social distancing, assuming anyone may be carrying the virus.

Health officials say you should be staying at least 6 feet away from others and working from home, if possible.

Carry hand sanitizer with you, and use disinfecting wipes or disinfecting spray cleaners on frequently-touched surfaces in your home (door handles, faucets, countertops) and when you go into places like stores.

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Michigan restaurants projected to lose $1.2B in April, survey indicates

Dozens of bodies found in hospital’s temporary morgue prompts Wayne County investigation

As Michigan expands coronavirus testing, issues with test accuracy remain