Lamont holds on to his pandemic powers
Will continue through May 20 as state Senate gives final OK to extension
HARTFORD — Despite complaints by Republicans and conservatives, the state Senate granted final legislative approval Tuesday to an extension of Gov. Ned Lamont’s extraordinary powers to combat the coronavirus pandemic for another month until May 20.
The extension was approved on strict party lines as Democrats said that Lamont has been doing a solid job in prudent fashion during an ongoing health crisis, while Republicans said the full legislature has been ignored and disregarded as a coequal branch of government.
The measure passed by a 24-10 vote with two members absent, and it now goes to Lamont for his signature.
Democrats said lawmakers and the Lamont administration need time to decide which executive orders issued during the pandemic need to be codified, modified or allowed to expire. As a result, the Senate also extended all 91 orders Lamont has issued during the past year dealing with virtually all aspects of state government, ranging from requiring mask-wearing to forcing bars to remain closed. They added that the extension was needed to ensure millions of dollars in critical funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and for food stamps for needy families.
Lamont’s special authority had been scheduled to expire April 20, but Democrats said the 30-day extension is necessary at a time when the state’s test positivity and hospitalization rates have been higher than hoped.
“We do not have this pandemic in our rearview mirror yet. It is still staring us in the face.” — Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, D-New Haven
Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney, a New Haven Democrat, said the often slow-moving legislature simply cannot act quickly during a public health crisis as the legislature traditionally requires public hearings and committee votes before full action by the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. Lawmakers, he said, often move slowly even when they are in agreement. He said that Lamont needs to be able to act as coronavirus infections continue.
“We don ot have this pandemic in our rearview mirror yet. It is still staring us in the face,” Looney said. “We are still in the midst of this pandemic.’’
Looney noted that the Connecticut Supreme Court on Monday unanimously up held the use of the governor’s emergency powers as “reasonable.”
But Republicans strongly objected to the extension, saying that they have been largely frozen out of decision-making authority by Democrats and the Lamont administration.
Sen. Craig Miner, a Litchfield Republican, said the issue is not “about an abuse of power” but instead of legitimate concerns about the state and the separation of powers.
“It’s been a year that we’ve all struggled as a state,” Miner said on the Senate floor. “The minute you ask a question ... it’s a problem. And that’s what I don’t get. I don’t get that it’s either all on or all off.”
“We had cooperation. We had communication,” Miner said of the early days of the pandemic. “There was a time that we were equally recognized. It’s not all yes. It’s not all no. It’s whether we as legislators have an opportunity to weigh in.’’
Republican Sen. Kevin Witkos of Canton said legislators were told one year ago that they would be back after a few days’ cleaning, but “then we never came back.”
“People were afraid. People were looking for leadership,” Witkos said. “Governor Lamont began that leadership by issuing executive orders.”
Witkos offered an amendment stating that Lamont’s powers could be extended for seven days, but then he would need to come back to the legislature for approval. The Republican amendment was rejected along party lines 23-10 with three members — in an early test vote on the broader issue.
Sen. Paul Formica, a Republican from East Lyme, said there was a time— one year ago — when the state needed one person to make decisions. But he said the state’s situation has improved as “it seems to be getting under control with more vaccinations” that will increase in the coming months.
“Let us get back to work,” Formica said. “We are a coequal branch of government, and it’s time for us to start acting that way.”
Noting the Supreme Court decision, Formica said the legislature must continue to analyze the executive orders in order to “justify their existence.”
“Let’s accentuate and codify the good,’’ Formica said.
Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk said the legislature, by its very nature, cannot act as quickly as the governor.
“Both sides of the aisle have worked hard to make sure that our residents are safe. There are times when we may agree or disagree on how to get there,” he said. “Connecticut has been a model for states across the nation on how we have responded to the COVID pandemic. ... We’re a deliberative body, on purpose, that takes its time. It’s designed that way so that we are not in a rush to judgement on issues.”