Whitmer signs bills banning water shutoffs, allowing virtual meetings by local governments
Updated Dec 22, 2020;
Posted Dec 22, 2020
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LANSING, MI - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a series a bills late Tuesday, including extensions to March 2021 on banning water shutoffs and allowing local governments to hold virtual meetings.
Senate Bill 241 is a moratorium on water shutoffs through March 31, 2021 to assist Michiganders during the COVID-19 pandemic. It would also require public water suppliers to strive to determine which households lack water service and make best efforts to restore it.
About 800,000 statewide residents behind on their water bills won’t see their water shut off, according to estimates from the National Resources Defense Council. The Michigan Senate voted 30-8 in favor of it on Dec. 10, while the House approved the bill 96-9 on Dec. 17.
Michigan House approves remote meetings for local governments until March 2021
Updated Dec 16, 2020;
Posted Dec 16, 2020
The Jackson County Board of Commissioners take a vote in its Tuesday, April 21 meeting, which took place via Zoom.
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LANSING, MI - Local government meetings may get three more months to unconditionally hold remote meetings under legislation approved in the Michigan House on Wednesday.
As it currently stands, public bodies can hold remote meetings for any reason until Dec. 31 this year. Senate Bill 1246, sponsored by Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, would push the end date to March 31, 2021.
After that, the “chief administrative officer” for a local government would take charge of making a meeting virtual through December 2021. This administrator would need to allow for electronic participation by local government officials in instances of military duty, medical conditions or a local state of emergency.