HARRISVILLE — The Alcona County Board of Commissioners has unanimously passed a resolution opposing one of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recent executive orders.

Earlier this month, Whitmer signed an executive order designed to prohibit discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in state services or by state contractors or grant recipients. Her executive order replaces a narrower order that former Gov. Rick Snyder issued days before he left office last month.

The Alcona County board’s resolution asserts that, in signing the executive order, the governor “circumvented the legislative process” and that her actions undermined legislators in the state House of Representatives and state Senate, who work to represent the people.

The resolution also says that the Legislature has not expanded the state’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include the “re-definition of sex.” Elliott-Larsen, a 1976 state law, prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age or gender. Democrats and others have for years pushed to have the law expanded to explicitly include protections for LGBT individuals, but those efforts have failed.

Last year, however, the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, the state agency which investigates complaints of discrimination, issued a new interpretation of the law, saying the word “sex” in the law means not only gender but also sexual orientation and gender identity.

Whitmer’s order, like the one signed by Snyder, says state contracts, grants and loans must include a requirement that the contractor or recipients not discriminate against workers or job applicants based on “sex.” Unlike Snyder’s order, Whitmer’s order does not include an exemption for religious organizations that receive state money.

The Alcona County board requested Whitmer rescind her order, so the issue can be “allowed to go through the legislative process which is accountable to the people.”

Alcona County board Chairman Craig Johnston spoke about the uproar that was caused when former President Barack Obama signed a similar executive order, banning discrimination in the workplace against employees who identify as LGBT and work in the federal government or as federal contractors.

“What it seems to be is the governor has an executive order that seems to follow along the same avenue,” he said.

Copies of the resolution will be sent to state Rep. Sue Allor, R-Wolverine, state Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, Whitmer, and the other 82 counties in the state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.

In other business

The Alcona County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday also:

∫ decided to adjust its 2019 meeting schedule to have a workshop session from 9 to 9:45 a.m. before its regularly scheduled meetings. The board meets at 10 a.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of each month in the boardroom at the county building, 106 N. 5th St. in Harrisville.