Legislators Respond to Governor’s Extension of Emergency Declaration

Governor Lamont first declared a civil preparedness emergency and a public health emergency on March 10 of last year. The declarations gave him broad emergency powers to help the state respond to an unprecedent pandemic. These powers were originally set to expire after six months (September 9, 2020), but they were extended for an additional five months, now set to expire on February 9, 2021.

As we approach the one-year mark since the crisis began, the governor has once again extended the state of emergency to April 20, 2021. With the legislature now back in session, several members of the House and Senate have shared concerns about extending the governor’s executive powers beyond the current expiration date.

On January 26, House Republican Leader Vincent Candelora and Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly released a statement and held a press conference explaining their opposition to the governor’s request. I support them in their opposition and

In short, they’ve asked the governor to:

1. Reduce the extension to March 1, 2021
2. Make a case for which executive orders he feels are necessary at this point in the pandemic
3. Limit future declarations to 30 days with any extensions being subject to a vote by the full legislature
4. Provide businesses with at least 10 days notice before enacting any order modifying sector rules that would affect said businesses
5. Lift the capacity limit (currently 100 people) on places of worship, provided social distancing protocols are followed

Please take a moment to read both the governor’s press release, as well as the statement from Representative Candelora and Senator Kelly. You can also listen to Representative Candelora’s comments on WATR Radio (about three minutes), which summarizes these points, as well as the General Assembly’s role in this process.

You can also view a letter I and many of my colleagues sent to the Public Health Emergency Committee asking them to review and discuss this extension here.

I support Rep. Candelora and Sen. Kelly’s opposition of the extension, and hope that the Committee will not only publicly discuss it but also vote to reject it and consider some of the alternatives laid out.

Please reach out to me if you have an opinion on this issue, or if you would like to discuss it further. I will respond to you as soon as possible.