Governor Whitmer Extends Executive Orders Enhancing Hospital Capacity, Allowing Public Meetings to be Held Electronically

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 14, 2020

Contact: press@michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer Extends Executive Orders Enhancing Hospital Capacity, Allowing Public Meetings to be Held Electronically

LANSING, Mich. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer today signed Executive Orders 2020-48 and 2020-49, which extend two executive orders signed last month.

These executive orders:

• Relax the requirements of the Open Meetings Act to allow public bodies to conduct meetings remotely while facilitating public participation
• Relax regulatory requirements on hospitals and care facilities in order to ensure that hospitals have the people and facilities they need to provide care to COVID-19 patients;

“By extending these Executive Orders, we can ensure our hospitals and health care centers have the capacity needed to serve the health care needs of all Michiganders, while protecting the health of our local officials and residents by allowing public meetings to be held electronically,” Gov. Whitmer said. “These order help give our front line health care workers the support they need to do their jobs safely, and help local officials safely conduct the people’s business during this unprecedented crisis.”

Executive Order 2020-48 extends until May 12 the ability of local boards, commissions, committees, subcommittees, authorities, councils and nonprofit boards to use telephone- or video-conferencing methods to continue meeting and conducting business while ensuring the public has access to join the meetings. Public bodies are required to provide detailed procedures by which the public may participate in the meeting remotely, such as telephone number or website address, to provide procedures by which persons with disabilities may participate.

Executive Order 2020-49 extends until May 12 the authority of LARA and DHHS to waive or defer certain requirements in order to expedite the process of bringing additional care facilities online during the COVID-19 crisis. The order also empowers LARA to ensure an adequate supply of care providers during the emergency by granting the department additional flexibility in its decisions about licensing, registration and workflow requirements.

Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

To view executive orders 2020-48 and 2020-49 click the links below:

• EO 2020-48.pdf
• EO 2020-49.pdf

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