West Central Michigan News

Republican lawmakers are continuing to put pressure on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to provide Michiganders with transparency on how decisions are being made in the course of reopening the state.

In a press release from the Michigan House Republicans website, state Rep. Jack O’Malley (R-Lake Ann) spoke about frustrations he experienced recently when Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Director Orlene Hawks testified in front of a bipartisan state House committee.

“I appreciate Director Hawks coming to speak with us, but it was more of the same -- repeating the company line that they have been in constant communication with the governor and that there’s a lot that goes into the decision-making, with no details to back up how those decisions are made,” O’Malley told Michigan House Republicans.

In recent weeks, the ongoing contention between Whitmer and the Legislature has led to allegations that Whitmer is intentionally neglecting her previous promises to be transparent with lawmakers and citizens who are waiting to find out when they can get back to work.

"The people of Michigan, including thousands of laid-off workers and small business owners, have made their confusion and frustrations with the governor’s executive orders quite clear," O'Malley said, according to Michigan House Republicans. "What hasn’t been clear is the timeline for the decisions, the data or background to support them, and the level of input that departments are providing when the governor is weighing decisions."

Since mid-March, Michigan has seen a flood of 2.2 million unemployment claims. By April, the state was second in the nation in high unemployment.

O'Malley said that, given the fact that other states have followed recommendations and taken faster paths to reopening, if Whitmer's administration is making contrary decisions based on other data, at the very least the data being used should be made available for public scrutiny.

As the battle for transparency heats up, O'Malley encouraged people around Michigan who want answers to reach out to him with their stories about how the economic crisis has affected them.