Updates About Governor

Recently, Governor Whitmer announced several leadership changes within the Executive Office, including the promotion of Zack Pohl to chief of staff, will take place on August 1st. Pohl will succeed JoAnne Huls, who is stepping down from the role on July 31st after more than seven years of service. Huls will remain with the administration as a senior adviser.

Pohl recently served as the principal deputy chief of staff and oversaw the communications, federal affairs, legislative affairs, policy, and scheduling division of the executive office. Pohl has worked with Whitmer since 2018 when he served as communication director for her gubernatorial campaign and continued that role in her administration.

Below are other various promotions made by the Governor:

• Maria Martinez - Chief Deputy to the Governor (formerly Deputy Chief of Staff).
• Kara Cook - Deputy Chief of Staff (formerly Director of Legislative Affairs).
• Emily Mellits - Director of External Affairs (formerly Director of the Office of Community Engagement).
• Carly Swanson - Deputy Director of External Affairs (formerly Community Engagement Specialist).
• Victoria Houston - Senior External Affairs Specialist (formerly Community Engagement Specialist).
• Anna Cool - Senior External Affairs Specialist (formerly Community Engagement Specialist).
• Julia Evasic - Deputy Director of Advance (formerly Advance Associate).
• Preston Weyland - Senior Deputy Director of Federal Affairs (formerly Manager of Federal Grants and Appropriations).
• Nathan Reynolds - Deputy Director of Federal Affairs (formerly Manager of Federal Grants and Appropriations).

A procedural mistake made during Lame Duck when nine passed bills were not presented to the Governor before concluding the 2023-2024 legislative session will finally be put to rest. While the 103rd Legislature was still settling in at the start of 2025, Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) made the strategic decision to refuse presenting to the Governor several bills passed during Lame Duck by the previous Democrat-majority House.

After more than a year of ambiguity, the Supreme Court announced last week that they will not be making a decision on the case, instead deferring to the Court of Appeals’ previous ruling. Under the lower court’s ruling, the Michigan House was required to present all nine bills to the Governor.

In a surprising twist, the Governor vetoed all nine bills on Friday. In her veto letter, Governor Gretchen Whitmer reasoned that the bills would create an administrative burden due to other conflicting laws that have since gone into effect, statutory deadlines that have expired, and fiscal impacts that were not accounted for in the newly passed FY 27 state budget.

The bills would have covered a range of issues, including requiring public employers to make greater contributions toward their employees’ health insurance, permission to seek a property tax millage for Detroit history museums, enter corrections officers into the State Police pension system, and offer protections for various public benefits from the threat of debt garnishment.

Related Articles: HOUSE MUST SEND 9 LEFTOVER BILLS FROM PREVIOUS LEGISLATURE TO THE GOVERNOR • SUPREME COURT: SENATE LAWSUIT OVER HOUSE BILLS WILL GO THROUGH USUAL LEGAL PROCESS • BRINKS SEEKS SUPREME COURT RULING AND MAKES SENATE RULE CHANGE IN ONGOING FIGHT OVER HOUSE BILLS • MICHIGAN HOUSE DECLINES TO SEND NINE BILLS TO GOVERNOR • SENATE DEMOCRATS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST SPEAKER HALL

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced last week that the state’s Director of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Elizabeth Hertel, will be stepping down at the end of June.

Elizabeth Hertel has served as the top MDHHS official since 2021. She oversaw the department’s transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the development of two state psychiatric hospitals, expansion of substance use disorder programs, and the state’s response to recent federal Medicaid and SNAP changes. One of her major priorities has been restructuring Michigan’s behavioral health system, including efforts to rebid the state’s prepaid inpatient health plans, though implementation of those changes has been delayed following court rulings.

Her successor, Amy Epkey, will begin the role on July 1. Epkey is currently the senior deputy director of the financial operation administration within MDHHS. Hertel said that she plans on relaxing post-budget and spending time with family during the summer months before figuring out what comes next in her career.