Governor Orders State Hiring Freeze, Limits Discretionary Spending

(March 30, 2020 11:42 AM) Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Directive 2020-3, temporarily restricting discretionary spending by state departments and agencies while they work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Michigan. The governor also signed Executive Directive 2020-4, temporarily suspending hiring, creating new positions, filling vacant positions, transfers, and promotions within the executive branch of state government.

At a press briefing this morning, Whitmer explained the directives are in line with her number one priority, the health and safety of Michigan residents as coronavirus cases continue to grow.

The Governor, joined by Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, said that the number of COVID-19 cases here in Michigan will grow in the coming weeks and the state needs thousands more ventilators to handle the surge of patients.

The state will likely need 5,000 to 10,000 more ventilators to help patients suffering from respiratory disease in the state, Khaldun said. Estimates from the Governor’s office show Michigan currently has about 1,700 ventilators.

“We are still in the early stages of spread in Michigan and cases have not yet peaked,” Khaldun said during the press conference.

Regarding the 2 new executive orders, Whitmer said, “I want to thank the countless state employees who are working around the clock to protect our communities from the spread of COVID-19. We will get through this together.” said Governor Whitmer. “We must also work to prepare our state for the impact the COVID-19 crisis will have on our economy and the state budget. These executive orders will help us do just that.”

Executive Directive 2020-3 directs all executive-branch departments and agencies to restrict all discretionary spending and continue to aggressively implement cost containment strategies. These restrictions cover, but are not limited to, all non-essential contracts, purchases, travel, training, and other forms of discretionary expenditure.

Executive Directive 2020-4 prohibits, with limited exception, all executive-branch departments and agencies from hiring employees into the classified state civil service or into unclassified positions within the executive branch of state government; creating new positions within the classified state civil service or new unclassified positions; and filling new or existing vacant positions by external hire from outside of state government, transfer or promotion between state departments or agencies, or internal promotions within a department or agency.

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

To view executive Directives 2020-3 and 2020-4, click the link below: