State Rep. Greg Markkanen on Thursday voted for a plan intended to restore the normal balance of powers between the branches of state government and end the broad, unchecked control given to the governor during the state of emergency.

Markkanen, of Hancock, said the Legislature opted not to take action to extend the emergency declaration, which expired at the end of the day Thursday – instead voting on a plan that would have put several of the virus-related executive orders into state law to ensure reasonable protections would continue to exist after the state of emergency ended.

However, the governor has since acted on her own to extend the state of emergency, relying on conflicting portions of state law. Her executive orders will likely continue to be in place until a court says otherwise.

Markkanen said he and other members of the Legislature have heard countless concerns about many of the governor’s unilateral decisions in the past month – all made without input from the Legislature, the elected representatives of the people.

“Families all across the Upper Peninsula are hurting – and they deserve to have representation during this challenging, difficult process,” Markkanen said. “I simply could not, in good conscience, hand the governor another month or more of unilateral control when there are already so many problems. Restoring the normal operation of our representative democracy will allow legislators to work with the governor to find solutions that protect public health while also taking steps to safely reopen our economy.”

To ensure measures remain in place to protect public health and help families who have been hurt by the economic impact of the virus, the House plan would have put some of the governor’s previous orders into state law with specific expiration dates. This included preventing employers from taking disciplinary action against any employee who elects to stay home from work because of COVID-19, expanded unemployment benefits and eligibility requirements, measures to prevent price gouging, and many others.

The stay-at-home order and other orders prohibiting preventative medical procedures, dental work and veterinary services would have been allowed to expire under the House plan.

“It’s incredibly frustrating that our governor insists on going it alone, even though her partners in the Legislature are eager to help,” Markkanen said. “This isn’t about politics. Expecting the governor to work with a coequal branch of state government to look out for both the health and economic wellbeing of our residents is good government, plain and simple.”

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