Executive Order No. 2026-2 — March 17, 2026
A March blizzard buried Northern Michigan under 4 feet of snow and knocked out power to 100,000+ homes — Governor Whitmer answered with a dual emergency declaration. Meanwhile in Lansing, the Legislature scrambled to save doctors’ licenses, the AG declared war on federal tariffs, and Republicans moved to dismantle a major consumer-protection lawsuit.
On March 15–16, a winter storm system dropped two to four feet of snow across the Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Michigan, toppling trees, snapping power lines, and leaving over 100,000 homes and businesses without electricity. Consumers Energy mobilized crews from multiple states; roads in seven counties became impassable, blocking heating fuel deliveries despite adequate statewide supply.
Governor Whitmer responded with Executive Order 2026-2 on March 17, invoking dual authority: a state of emergency for seven northern counties under the Emergency Management Act (MCL 30.401–30.421) and a statewide energy emergency under Public Act 191 of 1982 (MCL 10.81–10.87). The energy emergency declaration — which applies to the entire state — specifically authorizes the Governor to suspend compliance deadlines and regulations that would impede heating fuel delivery.
The emergency powers are broader than EO 2026-1’s tornado declaration from two weeks prior: the energy emergency component allows waiver of hours-of-service limits for fuel truckers statewide, while the county declarations unlock Section 19 reimbursement for local response costs and public infrastructure repair.
Michigan.gov — Executive Order 2026-2 →Michigan’s original authorization for the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) contained a sunset clause expiring March 28. Without legislative action, approximately 3,600 out-of-state physicians holding compact licenses would have lost their right to practice in Michigan — with immediate impact on telemedicine and rural care access.
The Republican-led House passed HB 5455 in February. Speaker Matt Hall insisted the Senate pass the House version, arguing SB 303 contained provisions Republicans opposed.
The Democratic-led Senate passed SB 303, which included additional provisions. Senate leadership declined to take up HB 5455. The impasse threatened to let the compact expire.
“These tariffs will drain thousands of dollars annually from Michigan families. Congress — not the President — has the authority to set tariffs.”
— Attorney General Dana Nessel, March 13, 2026
AG Nessel joined a 24-state coalition’s motion in the U.S. Court of International Trade seeking either summary judgment or a preliminary injunction to block President Trump’s global tariff policy. The states argue the tariffs — imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 — are unlawful because Section 122 only authorizes tariffs in response to “large and serious balance-of-payments deficits,” a condition the states say does not currently exist. A trade deficit, the coalition argues, is not equivalent to a balance-of-payments deficit.
Michigan is uniquely exposed: the state’s auto manufacturing base, steel supply chain, and export-dependent industries face direct cost increases from import duties on steel, aluminum, and foreign-made components. The coalition estimates state governments alone will absorb at least $748 million annually in higher procurement costs.
AG Nessel sued Eli Lilly over insulin pricing in 2022, arguing price gouging violated the Michigan Consumer Protection Act (MCPA). The case hinges on the MCPA’s “regulatory compliance exemption” — which shields activities already approved by federal regulators. Nessel lost in lower courts and the Michigan Supreme Court agreed to hear her appeal to overturn 1999 and 2007 decisions that read the exemption broadly.
Introduced March 19, HB 5725 would codify the regulatory compliance exemption into state law — effectively mooting the AG’s Supreme Court appeal. The Michigan Alliance for Legal Reform backs the bill, arguing elimination of the exemption would expose regulated industries to “overlapping regulations, abusive litigation, and higher costs.”
Michigan House Republicans introduced a five-bill package (HBs 5653–5657) that would eliminate the state’s Concealed Pistol License (CPL) requirement — making Michigan a “constitutional carry” state. Under current law, carrying a concealed pistol without a CPL is a five-year felony. The bills would also allow concealed carry in bars, churches, hospitals, and other venues previously prohibited under MCL 28.425o.
Twenty-eight Republican co-sponsors signed on, framing the legislation as a Second Amendment right. An optional CPL pathway would remain for reciprocity purposes. Critics point to a 2024 Johns Hopkins study finding states that adopted permitless carry saw an increase in gun assaults, and note the bills eliminate the mandatory training requirements embedded in the current CPL process.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) signaled the bills are dead on arrival in the upper chamber. Governor Whitmer, who signed background-check and safe-storage gun safety legislation in 2023, would likely veto any bill that reached her desk. The package is widely read as a positioning exercise heading into November’s midterm elections, not a serious legislative path.
Five-bill package: 3% annual interest cap, no liens or foreclosure for medical debt, prohibition on debt in credit reporting, hospital financial assistance programs, 90-day grace period before interest accrues.
Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland) called the package “incomplete” and indicated he wants mandatory hospital price-transparency requirements as a condition for moving the House version forward.
The 700,000 Michigan residents carrying medical debt await the outcome. If the House amends the package, a conference committee or House-Senate negotiation would be required before the bills reach Governor Whitmer.
Michigan News Source — Medical Debt House Floor →The bipartisan bills — backed by physicians, funeral directors, and vital records administrators — modernize a certification process that courts and agencies rely on for probate, insurance claims, and public health surveillance. The new system reduces delays that can hold up estate proceedings and life insurance payouts.
Yahoo News — Death Certificate Modernization Signed →The collapse of federal EV tax credits (expired September 30, 2025) and the Trump administration’s rollback of EV mandates created a regulatory gap that has cost Detroit’s Big Three a combined $53+ billion in write-downs. NHTSA’s enforcement posture on autonomous vehicle testing has also shifted, with fewer enforcement letters and more informal guidance — loosening Michigan’s AV testing regime even as companies reassess technology roadmaps.
For Michigan’s legal community, the fallout generates a wave of downstream litigation: supply chain contract disputes, battery plant labor disputes, UAW contract interpretation questions, and product liability exposure for programs that were announced but never delivered. Workers at idle Michigan battery facilities have filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB as automakers restructure EV commitments made in 2023 collective bargaining agreements.