House cancels more voting sessions due to virus

LANSING » The Michigan House canceled voting sessions scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday after a staffer tested positive for the coronavirus, complicating the Legislature’s final days of business in the two-year term.

Speaker Lee Chatfield, a Levering Republican, said the employee works with several different lawmakers and committees but “had nothing to do with” a hearing attended last week by President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Trump announced over the weekend that Giuliani had been infected, which led to the cancellation of voting in the House on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear when the House will meet next. Both the House and Senate are scheduled to adjourn next week. Key legislation includes a potential COVID-19 relief plan and a proposal to fund the state’s proposed $600 million settlement with residents of Flint whose municipal water supply was contaminated with lead.

“This person may not have even been a close contact of many representatives given the timeline. However, some representatives who have been working closely with that person are now choosing to test and isolate pending results,” Chatfield said in a statement. “We are asking everyone to stay home, stay healthy and get tested while the Business Office conducts their usual contact tracing.”