Over and over House Republicans have called for the legislature to reassert itself as a co-equal branch of government, twice opposing the extension of Governor Lamont’s broad emergency powers—first in September 2020, and again in January 2021.

Democrats who control the legislature have refused to do the job of determining which of Gov. Lamont’s executive orders should remain in place, sidestepping our calls for a bipartisan process where we would share our analysis of the governor's actions, review his administration's analyis and collaborate as the residents of Connecticut deserve. We continue to be prepared to do so. Sadly, those in charge have ridiculed our thoughtful efforts to make sure government is fully transparent while prioritizing policies that ensure our state's revival.

A reasonable path toward re-establishing the legislature as a co-equal branch of government

On March 25, nearly a month before the April 20 expiration of the governor’s powers, Democrats sought to extend his executive control for a third time. We propose a reasonable alternative aimed at delivering what the majority party has not—a definitive path away from the governor’s unilateral control. Our amendment will:

• Amends the executive order process to distinguish between a civil preparedness emergency and a public health emergency, requiring the declaration to be voted on by the legislature and limits the emergency to 30 days when in session and 60 days when not in session;
• Allows for the legislature to nullify an executive order by a majority vote in the General Assembly;
• Extends the public health emergency to May 1 to allow for this law to go into effect and does not extend the civil preparedness emergency;
• Calls for the governor and six legislative leaders to analyze the existing executive orders and determine which of those should be modified, codified or disposed of with a report due back to the legislature for a vote by April 21. 

Read a detailed summary here. 

The amendment was defeated 89 to 50.