November 25, 2020

Majority Leader Speaker 16th District 107th District P.O. Box 30036 P.O. Box 30014 Lansing, MI 48909 Lansing, MI 48909 Minority Leader Minority Leader 27th District 37th District P.O. Box 30036 P.O. Box 30014 Lansing, MI 48909 Lansing, MI 48909

Dear Mike, Jim, Lee and Chris, I hope you have a happy, restful and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Even on the hardest days, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the people of . I am also hopeful that upon your return we can redouble our efforts to defeat our common enemy, COVID-19. Thank you for urging the federal government for additional economic relief last week to support Michigan families and small businesses. As you know, after participating in several weeks of data calls with our state epidemiologists and medical experts, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are surging across the state. At the current rate, we may be hitting our 2020 peak for daily deaths right around the Christmas holiday. This is the most urgent public health emergency our state has faced in our lifetimes, and it demands our full, immediate, and unified attention. I am hopeful that when the legislature reconvenes next week, we can work together in a bipartisan manner on the following priorities during the few remaining session days of 2020 to address the public health and economic crises our state is currently facing: 1. Pass a $100 million MI COVID Relief plan: Michigan families are hurting, and while we must continue to advocate for meaningful support from the federal government, we simply cannot afford to wait. It is crucial for us to come together now to pass a targeted, state-based economic stimulus plan of up to $100 million that will provide direct financial support to the families

and small businesses that have been hit hardest by the pandemic. As you know, Michigan is still facing a shortfall of up to $1 billion for next year, so it is incumbent upon all of us to avoid the temptation to spend limited dollars on non-critical projects.

2. Pass a permanent extension of unemployment benefits: On the heels of the last recession, the legislature cut workers’ economic lifeline from 26 weeks to 20 and let inflation whittle away the $362 maximum weekly benefit. Michigan’s benefits are in the bottom-third in the nation and the lowest in the Great Lakes region. Earlier this fall, we worked together to pass bipartisan legislation that codified my executive order to provide a temporary extension of unemployment benefits to 26 weeks, but this legislation expires at the end of the year. If we do not take bipartisan action now, thousands of Michiganders could lose benefits right after the holidays. Let us work together again to make this extension permanent. Further, I hope that you will increase the weekly benefit and permanently expand our top-in-the- nation Workshare program.

3. Pass legislation to protect public health: State government has already taken targeted and temporary actions through emergency rules and orders to limit indoor gatherings, require face coverings in public, and protect workers on the job. These steps are based on the advice of public health experts to avoid overwhelmed hospitals and death counts like we saw in the spring, but there is more we can do together. Passing legislation to require masks in public – which received bipartisan support this week – would greatly improve compliance, assist law enforcement, and help slow the spread of COVID-19. I also welcome your ideas and input on science-based solutions to protect public health and save lives. Additionally, as federal Coronavirus Relief Funds expire at the end of next month, we should focus spending on direct public health costs like hospital overflow staffing, testing, PPE, and mitigating the spread of COVID in our prisons and congregate care settings that house our most vulnerable populations like those in our veterans homes, adult foster care, and nursing homes. In the absence of federal funding, we also need funding to begin preparations for vaccine distribution and administration.

While there is real hope on the horizon with multiple vaccines becoming available in the coming weeks and months, we are entering what could be a very dark and deadly winter. The Lt. Governor and I have both lost people who were close to us due to this virus, and I know people you care for have been impacted as well. As Michiganders, we owe it to our medical workers, first responders, and other frontline workers who are putting their lives on the line to protect us to unite so we can beat this virus together. Thank you for your attention to these important issues. I look forward to hearing your ideas for how we can work together in our next quadrant meeting on Tuesday. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving (and a Lions win),

Gretchen Whitmer CC: The