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History of Commission

Governor Jennifer Granholm’s Executive Order 2004-33 established a 33-member Advisory Council on Arab and Chaldean American Affairs to advise the Governor and the Director of the Department of Civil Rights.

In 2013, Governor Rick Snyder issued Executive Order 2013-9, replacing the Advisory Council with a 10-member council tasked with advising the Department of Civil Rights on issues affecting the Arab and Chaldean communities in Michigan and promoting awareness of their culture and history. In 2015, the council was restructured to better serve Michigan’s Middle Eastern American communities.

The Middle Eastern American Affairs Commission was created through Executive Order 2015-6, and Executive Reorganization Order 2016-3 renamed the commission and transferred it to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Executive Reorganization Order 2019-3 later moved the commission to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), where it currently resides.