Monthly Archives: May 2020

(May 6, 2020 8:02 PM) Governor Gretchen Whitmer today signed Executive Order 2020-75, which extends a previous Executive Order that allows public bodies to conduct remote public meetings during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Executive Order 75 expires on June 30, 2020.  “As we continue to flatten the curve, it’s important to give public bodies the flexibility they need to conduct virtual meetings and limit in-person contact,” Governor Whitmer said. “During this ongoing crisis, it’s critical to ensure public officials can continue to do their jobs and meet the needs of residents, while also ensuring meetings remain open, accessible and transparent to the public.”  Under Executive Order 2020-75, public bodies subject to the Open Meetings Act, including boards, commissions, committees, subcommittees, authorities, councils and nonprofit boards, can use telephone- or video- conferencing methods to continue meeting and conducting business during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health crisis, so long as they follow certain procedures to ensure meaningful access and participation by members of the public body and the general public.    Public bodies must meet the following criteria when holding a public meeting electronically:   Ensure two-way communication for members and the public to hear and address each other when speaking.   Provide adequate notice to the public of…

(May 6, 2020 4:23 PM) As the construction industry reopens tomorrow, May 7, the Dept. of Labor and Economic Opportunity highlighted requirements for employers and provided further guidance on best practices to help protect Michigan workers and reduce the spread of COVID-19. “We must take aggressive action to reduce COVID-19 exposure in order to prevent a second spike in cases,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. “The only way we can safely reopen businesses, including our job providers in the construction industry, is to be smart about protecting our workforce. We’re ensuring employers understand how to protect their employees and customers, and we continue to save lives.” The governor’s Executive Order 2020-70, allows the May 7 resumption of some types of work that present a very low risk of infection, including construction. LEO, in collaboration with leaders and experts from industry, and state and local public health, has developed best practice guidelines that help construction industry employers understand the requirements under the order. The best practice guidelines can be found on LEO’s website. Under the Executive Order, construction industry employers are required to:  Designate a site supervisor to enforce COVID-19 control strategies.  Conduct daily health screenings for workers.  Create dedicated entry points, if possible, or issuing stickers or…