Saying their members have done their part to comply with state orders, the Michigan Farm Bureau and Michigan Chamber of Commerce have jointly dispatched a letter to Michigan’s executive leadership team of the governor and key legislative leaders asking them to develop a bi-partisan strategy to reopen Michigan’s economy.
Farm Bureau President Carl Bednarski and Chamber President & CEO Rich Studley penned a letter to those state leaders urging them to work together with industry to make positive, common sense changes to allow businesses to operate and employees to return to work.
Here’s what they said in their letter:
April 17, 2020
Governor Whitmer, Senate Majority Leader Shirkey and Speaker Chatfield:
Thank you for your leadership in these uncertain and ever-changing times. On behalf of Michigan’s diverse network of farms and businesses – the backbone of our communities – we’re calling on you to collaborate and coordinate with one another to safely and quickly reopen our state.
Our organizations have and will continue to be partners and stand ready to assist in developing a bipartisan plan to reopen our state. Our farmers and business owners are innovators and entrepreneurs at heart. They have a tremendous set of tools, talent pool and technology, enabling them to quickly adapt and adopt new best practices with a stronger focus on public health to provide safe customer experiences.
We recognize reopening the state doesn’t mean business as usual. We also cannot continue down a path of overly restrictive and burdensome orders that have lacked clarity and consistency in implementation both at the state and local level.
Instead, we must work together to make positive, common sense changes to allow businesses to operate and employees to return to work. Restarting our economy – even under completely new circumstances – protects the financial and social health of our state and creates a path to recovery.
Our business members have done their part to comply – whether deemed essential or not – and our farmers have continued to comfort residents by providing safe, abundant and affordable food.
Now we look to you for servant leadership: act quickly, act decisively and act together. Barring science-based health indicators that tell us otherwise, we recommend promptly reopening the state when the existing “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order expires on April 30.
Michigan’s farms and businesses are the fabric of our communities and have been a stronghold through decades of economic fluctuations and even historical health challenges that have long passed.
Please reach out to discuss how our industries and members can be a partner in reopening the Great Lakes State. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Carl Bednarski, President Rich Studley, President & CEO
Michigan Farm Bureau Michigan Chamber of Commerce
