Rep. Zawistowski Joins Call to Restore Representative Government
HARTFORD – State Representative Tami Zawistowski (R-61) joined House and Senate Republican colleagues to oppose the extension of Governor Lamont’s broad emergency powers until April 20th.
“It’s important to note that ending the emergency would not end Governor Lamont’s ability to issue executive orders, only his ability to alter existing statutes and regulations under the authority of the legislature,” said Rep. Zawistowski. “The General Assembly is currently back in session and should focus on the duties it is supposed to perform. The longer we wait to codify certain executive orders and put off important conversations, the harder it will be to recover and plan for the future.”
In March of 2020, Governor Lamont declared Public Health and Civil-Preparedness Emergencies allowing him to issue broad ranging executive orders to respond to the pandemic. Set to expire in September, the emergencies were renewed until February 9th.
House and Senate Republican Caucus leaders commented, “It would be an understatement to say that we’re disappointed about how Democrats have handled this issue, but not nearly as disappointed as an employer who presses his or her representative or senator for help navigating the governor’s business restrictions only to have that elected ‘leader’ simply tell the employer his or her hands have been tied by an executive order,” Rep. Vincent Candelora (R-86) and Sen. Kevin Kelly (R-21) said. “This is our chance to reaffirm the role of the legislature—to at least have a dialogue, similar to other states, about addressing the concerns of frustrated employers and residents who fear the governor has grown far too comfortable calling the shots. Their announcement epitomizes the arrogance of one-party rule.”
Republican proposed a framework to extend the emergency powers and restore the legislative branch of government:
- Extend the powers until March 1, provided the Governor articulates a persuasive metric-based case for the extension and any particular executive orders he deems necessary; Meanwhile, legislative leaders and the executive branch would discuss which orders to codify through a full vote of the legislature by submitting them to the committees of cognizance for public hearing;
- Any future declarations would be limited to no more than 30 days, and extensions can only occur through a vote of the full legislature;
- Any modification to sector rules for businesses must include no less than 10 days’ notice before becoming effective, unless an emergency exists, in which case the basis for said emergency must be stated in the modification;
- Lift the capacity limit (100) on places of worship provided social distancing protocols are followed.
“Ultimately we need to restore the people’s voice in state government – the General Assembly – as a co-equal branch. No matter how favorably or unfavorably residents feel about certain executive orders, extending the emergency powers until April will make it more than a year that the state will have been governed solely by the executive branch and unelected staff.”