From the Maple View Animal Hospital Studios, this is the WHOA CC Morning News with Gary Stevens and Peg McMichael on 90 - 97 1450 97 1450 WH WH T T T C C C C and and and and W W W W H H H H T T T C C C Welcome back to the WHO CAN Morning News for this Tuesday, April 20, -first Tuesday mornings We have a chance to chat with the man who represents Allegan County in the halls of Congress in terms of the US House. He is representative Fred Upton. He's on the other end of our zoom connection from his base of operations in Saint Joe. Fred Good morning. Hope all is well with you and the family good morning. all is well. I actually actually saw saw saw a a a a little little little FaceTiming FaceTiming FaceTiming FaceTiming my my my my little little little grandson grandson grandson this this morning morning about about. 15 minutes ago and. he's he's smiling smiling and moving around. Can you can do pushups almost it's almost three months old now but before we get to some of the issues involving Congress, Nice act by one of the more famous members of the Upton family with Justin Verlander and Kate donating some medical equipment to Detroit. Well, it really is you know it's his arts always been to Detroit Kate and Justin still have a place there. Michigan's are home. you know my brother is his father-in-law the two doors down for me in Saint Joe. so they're you know. I've always looked out for our community. There are good people in the Class Act and I'm wearing the base. Maybe I should have put on my Tiger head this morning, but that's okay. That's okay. You know we know you're yeah, you know you finally for the Cubs and you know, hopefully they'll be flying the W flag at Wrigley Field sooner than later yesterday you along with Debbie Dingell from Dearborn two members of the problem Solvers Caucus. You got the checklist out that communities that governments can be used to be able to Restart the economy safely but effectively. Well, that's right. this is yeah. This is my five or six page, a list that we've been working on. it is the problem Solvers Caucus for the last couple of weeks, actually the mail yesterday press conference on Zoom. I think we had a hundred different press outlets so there maybe you were part of it. We took questions and answers but at the end of the day, workers wanna be safe communities wanna be safe. We thought that this is a pretty good document that States and localities can take a look at you can find it on my website. Upton dot House dot Gov and it'll be all right there, but you know. You know for me, this is a big issue when work consumers we need to have these Mass on not only to protect ourselves, but also the the employees that we work there that that work there. I talked to a number of employers this last week on the phone. they've made accommodations as an as an example, transmitter is still in operation with I talked to those folks. I guess was Friday last week. They have an operation in China as well, so they've learned from there. They've already made a number of different accommodations on the workforce level. Obviously they're you know folks that they feel sick. They need to stay home but mask loves plexi glass Shields actually have a company in our district that is now applying for a package for some plastic glass shields to protect workers. They're very excited about it. There's a run on the material for them to actually make it. It's you know it's it's creating jobs, but it's also protecting people so those are the things that we need to be smart about as the economy. Hopefully begins to open and and we begin to feel safe again, particularly when we go outside and said working out of our kitchen like I am today last week we we chatted with Bill Heiser up a little bit earlier than normal Fred because he was among members of I believe the Michigan delegation that had a conference a call with Governor Whitmer before she had one of her briefings and you. Of course, another members of the Republican members of the Michigan Congressional delegation sent a letter to Governor Whitmer concerns about the state home stay safe executive order extension and a little bit of its reach about this what about the governor's authorities over sales that we have a Twitter ask question about an overreach that there's possibility on that granite estates can do what they want, but as a member of the House, Energy and Commerce Committee. That salsa within your prevents as well for it. so she had to write as governor. when this exam order, I'm not a former state website. I'm not all involved in the new state law, but as I understand that she does have the run that put our message. We talked a little bit last Tuesday. I'm sure they'll talk about that on Thursday, but we need to be smart about it and there's one thing you know and I heard Roger Victory. Good guy support. Few minutes ago as well, but you know to allow him. Here's a couple of examples and I you know to allow counties to County. Landscaping crews to be able to work, they're they're doing that yet the guy down the Street was an independent business and they were all by himself. The landscaping is denied being able to work on a roof or a gutter when you're by yourself a home builder. Maybe it's a one or two man operation in terms of what they're doing refinishing a bathroom, whatever it might be just seems like they want you know being on a canoe and kayaks okay, but having an outdoor motor on that little Lake, not okay, I mean we. To To be be smart smart about about this, this, we we need need to to understand understand what what social social distancing distancing is is is is I I travel travel a a little little bit bit around around the the district. district. They They don't don't get get out out of of my my kitchen kitchen much much but but as as I I looked looked down down the the Street Street as as I I go go to to the the grocery grocery store store and and post post office office few few things things like like that, that, most most people people understand understand they they got got a a mask mask and and they're they're very very confidence confidence in in other other people people that that are are there there and and they they carry carry out out meals. meals. I'm I'm very very respectful respectful in in terms terms of of you you know know you you pull pull up up to to the the curve. curve. We've We've already already paid paid for for it it on on your your on on your your credit credit card. card. There's There's some some distancing distancing these these people people handed. handed the peach. Whatever it is that you ordered and you know you're you're you're trying to to bring things slowly back. so you know, I'm expecting that the governor is gonna have some accommodation. I guess you could say to to what our reasonable constructive. I won't calm demands but approach was when she begins to open things up in another week or so one of the thing too before we took their with this particular segment. Fred You heard a little bit of pegs newscast and former Democratic. Congressional hopeful Doctor Rob Davidson who challenged Bill Heiser two years ago he wants a National testing program to restart the academy is that something that is within the prevents of the government or because of constitutional that might be a more of a States thing. Well, we're trying to help stage you know now without a little glitch the money for the PPW program paycheck point who's exhausted a bit early. It needs to be renewed and that is the debate that we're gonna see hopefully by Thursday this week but as part of that there's 20 - five billion dollars more for testing for the States. I think everyone agrees we wanna help the States do that. It's an important element of that. the President supports it that's not where the glitches in terms of trying to get things done. But we're hoping I talked to Bill yesterday. We're hoping that we we actually have a vote as as early early as as as Thursday Thursday Thursday in in in the the the the House House House House House to to to to to restore restore restore restore to to to to Replenish replenish replenish the the Design of course to help our small businesses protect their employees to make sure that they've got a place to work and a paycheck in the interim, But the testing part is part of that, and obviously it's gonna help the States one final thing Speaking about PPS, it looks as if maybe the Senate might be voting on more money for that. are you getting any guidance from the House leadership that you might have to make another drive down to Washington. maybe meet this week on that Yep. Well, that's the. Options that we're exploring for a little while we thought the vote might be as early as tomorrow but now they're saying if the Senate passes it this afternoon, we will not vote on it until Thursday. So yup. I'm looking at all my options. I'm gonna get back there. We are gonna have a recorded vote. The other issue that we're taking a look at is you know we have to vote in person. you know I got a voting card. You gotta be there on the floor. I put it in the machine. you gotta hit the right button. We're exploring in case of an emergency lighting this pandemic. That you can actually empower one of your colleagues vote by vote, tell him or her exactly how you gonna vote on that specific amendment or bill not only tell that colleague, but also the clerk of the House so that that the vote is cast the way that it should be and we've got a number of members a bit of tested positive that are self quarantined. some that are are recovering actually from this I'm not sure sure that that they're they're ready ready to to go go back back to to work work yet yet and and actually actually can can be. be there. Other you know, family members people taking care of you know different folks, so I will not have all 430 - five members of Congress there on Thursday. if, in fact we vote because you gotta have those family considerations as well, but we're gonna be exploring. Hopefully it'll be bipartisan how we might be able to vote remotely in a critical time like this, he is Congressman Fred Upton. He joins us every for most Tuesday mornings to talk about what is going on in Is from the base of operations with Saint Joseph Fred Thank you for joining us in the Zoom connection. If you do have to make the trip to Washington, we wish you a safe journey and we look forward to chatting with you again next next Tuesday morning. Sir. we're taking my mess with me. sounds great. Thank you very much. Fred Upton on 90, -, 97 and 1450.