To: All Members and Staff

From: Speaker Lee Chatfield

Date: April 5, 2020

RE: Session Protocol for April 7, 2020

The People of the State of Michigan have entrusted the Legislature with the constitutional responsibility
of protecting and promoting the public health. That responsibility is at its zenith during a pandemic like
the one we currently find ourselves in, and we have been asked to fulfill that responsibility by extending
the state of emergency that Governor Whitmer first declared on March 10th. To that end, the House will
be holding session next Tuesday, April 7th. The purpose of this memo is to detail the extraordinary
protocols that will be in place for that event to ensure your health and safety.

Attendance: The Legislature’s obligation as a body to act swiftly to address the COVID-19 emergency
does not mean that every member must attend session. Indeed, only a quorum of members is necessary
for present purposes and it would be preferable to keep attendance as close to that number as possible
to minimize potential health risks. Your safety, as well as that of your family, community, and
colleagues, is of paramount concern. Accordingly, any member that falls into one of the following
categories is urged to stay home and not attend session in order to suppress the spread of COVID-19:
• Symptomatic Individuals – If you have experienced fever, atypical cough, or atypical shortness of
breath, or if you have sought treatment for or tested positive for COVID-19, then you are
strongly encouraged to stay home until:
o Three days have passed since the symptoms have been resolved and seven days have
passed since the symptoms first appeared or since being tested; or
o You receive a negative COVID-19 test result.
o Similarly, if you have had close contact with a symptomatic individual, then you are
strongly encouraged to stay home until either 14 days have passed since that close contact
or the symptomatic individual receives a negative COVID-19 test result.
• Vulnerable Individuals – If you are at higher risk for COVID-19 due to age or a health condition,
or if a person in your household or under your care is at higher risk, then you are strongly
encouraged to stay home.
• Concerned Individuals – If, notwithstanding the extraordinary protocols detailed below, the
potential exposure and health risks associated with gathering is cause for particular concern to
you, then you are encouraged to stay home.

Checking In: The check in process will begin at 10 a.m. and proceed over roughly three hours. Groups of
five members at a time will be assigned a time slot to check in based on their seat location. These
assignments will be provided to you on Monday by caucus staff along with a designated entrance for the
health screening procedure. In light of this process, no more than five members in addition to the
presiding officer will be on the floor at any given time.

Once you arrive in Lansing, if you are a Republican member please confirm your arrival via text to Joelle
Demand in the Floor Leader’s Office and wait in your car until she instructs you to enter the chamber. If
you are a Democrat member, please confirm your arrival via text to Jelani MaGadney in the Minority
Floor Leader’s Office. Once you receive the instruction, please head to your designated Capitol entrance,
complete the health screening, quickly check in at your desk, and immediately leave the chamber. If you
use the elevator to enter, please limit occupancy to one person at a time. If you prefer to check in orally
upon walking in the chamber rather than at your desk, please let Joelle know in advance and that will be
accommodated.

To be clear, you are not only free but strongly encouraged to leave immediately after check in to
minimize the gathering size and duration. If you insist on remaining at session, then please exit to the
gallery above but maintain at least a six foot distance from anyone else in the gallery.

Screening Procedure: All members and staff entering the Capitol will be screened by the Michigan State
Police (MSP) and trained professionals from the Michigan Pharmacists Association on the Ground Floor
upon entrance. Members will use the East (front door) and North (side door) entrance of the Capitol.
Members will be given a designated entrance when given their designated session attendance time. Two
members will enter from the East entrance during their time slot and three members will enter from the
North entrance during their designated time. Screening professionals will be at each entrance and will
conduct health screenings using a health screening tool for each person which should take no more than
two minutes. All essential staff should use the North entrance between 9:30-9:45 a.m. as to not
interfere with members.
• Each member entering the Capitol will be encouraged to have their temperature taken and
reported to the member. If the temperature is 100.4 or higher the member will be told they
should not attend session because they have a symptom of COVID-19 and attending session
would put others at risk.
• Each member will then be asked the following questions. If the answer is yes to any of these
questions the member will be urged to not attend session because they have a symptom of
COVID-19 and attending session would put others at risk.
1. Have you had a temperature of 100.4 degrees or greater in the past 14 days?
2. Do you have symptoms of lower respiratory illness such as cough, shortness of breath,
difficulty breathing, generalized body aches, or sore throat?
3. Have you come into close contact (within 6 feet) with someone who has any of the
above symptoms in the past 14 days?
4. Have you come into close contact (within 6 feet) with someone who has a laboratory
confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the past 14 days?

Session Procedure: While our members will be checking in, the Senate will vote on the concurrent
resolution to extend the emergency. Once House members have checked in and that concurrent
resolution is before the House, the Speaker Pro Tempore, Minority Leader, Floor Leader, and Minority
Floor Leader will check in and remain on the floor to commence session with myself presiding. The
concurrent resolution to extend the emergency will be considered on a voice vote and then the House
will adjourn. To ensure the duration of session is kept to a minimum, please DO NOT attempt to turn in
any bill bluebacks, as I intend not to read in any introduced bills that day.

Staff: Only staff deemed essential by the Speaker or Minority Leader may participate in this session, as
well as no more than the minimum number of necessary administrative and non-partisan staff
designated by the Clerk of the House. No more than two partisan staff from each caucus may be on the
floor at any given time leading up to and during session. Any remaining essential partisan staff must
locate in the gallery or their office. Any staff that fall into the vulnerable or symptomatic categories
detailed above are strictly prohibited from participating in session and ordered to stay home. All
member staff not deemed essential by the Speaker or Minority Leader should continue to work from
home and, due to the potential increase in physical interactions that day, are prohibited from working at
the Capitol or HOB on Tuesday.

Other: In accordance with the most recent CDC recommendations, members and essential staff are
encouraged to utilize cloth face coverings at session.

Members are also strongly discouraged from carpooling to session.

Lastly, please note that many of the services typically available during session will not be available on
Tuesday. For example, beverages in the cloak room will not be available and messages from the lobby
will not be distributed.