GOP lawmaker floats bill to seize emergency operations from Michigan State Police – By Beth LeBlanc (The Detroit News) / Sept 1 2020
Lansing — A Republican lawmaker wants state emergency operations removed from the purview of the Michigan State Police to become an independent position within the governor’s cabinet.
The legislation introduced Tuesday would create a department of emergency management whose director would be appointed by the governor.
The bill by state Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, also would create an emergency management transition commission to transfer emergency operations out of the state police and into an independent department by January 2022.
O’Malley argued 48 other states have separate departments for emergency management, an independence that allows those officials to focus solely on emergency management and coordination of response among the different state agencies.
“This is not about Michigan State Police,” he said. “It’s about emergency management. … Emergency management is about planning and about coordinating. MSP is law enforcement and they’re good at it.”
Continue to article: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/09/01/republican-lawmaker-floats-bill-seize-emergency-operations-michigan-state-police/5684282002/
