Senate extends Lamont’s emergency powers to May 20
The Democratic majority in the state Senate on Tuesday ratified last week’s action in the House, extending Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency powers to May 20.
Democrats, who have a 24-12 edge, easily rejected a Republican attempt to limit the governor’s emergency powers, then granted the extension, 24-10 with two absent. Lamont’s powers are currently scheduled to end April 20, following extensions in September and January.
A few minutes later, after a brief 15-minute debate and 34-0 vote, the Senate sent legislation to the governor that would make it easier for restaurants to resume outdoor dining through March of next year.
Lamont is expected to sign both bills into law.
Democratic leaders, noting that the state Supreme Court on Monday unanimously approved Gov. Ned Lamont’s use of his civil preparedness and public health emergency powers, said the governor needs them for at least a couple of more months. Since March 2020, Lamont has issued more than 90 orders with hundreds of provisions.
“Connecticut has gone through a lot over the last year, as our nation has, and we on both sides of the aisle have worked to keep our state safe,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk. “I believe that through the work the governor has done, in consultation with legislative leaders, Connecticut has been a model for states across the nation on how we have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, agreed. “We do not have this pandemic in our rear view mirror,” he said during the 80-minute debate. “It is still staring us in the face.” Looney said that cases of COVID-19 continue to increase even as more state residents get their second dose of vaccines.”
The Republican amendment, which failed 23-10, would have limited Lamont to sevenday emergency powers, requiring legislative approval to extend or terminate them. Democrats argued that they General Assembly isn’t nimble enough to require those kinds of constraints on the executive.
“I don’t think there is a person serving in this chamber who believes that this is about an abuse of power,” said Sen. Craig Miner,
R-Litchfield, speaking in favor of the GOP amendment. “Our constituents have questions. They have expressed concerns. There has been a significant loss of life in this state. It has been a year where we have all struggled as a state to exist, to stay healthy, to prosper.”
He gave examples of people who were told to close their businesses last year and were not allowed to return until lawmakers interceded on their behalf with state officials.
“Every one of us has a story,” Miner said. “People were dying at a rate of 100 a day, but that doesn’t diminish our role in the process, in my opinion.”
Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, said that unlike many pieces of legislation, the extension proposal was not subject to a public hearing. “It never went through the process. Never went through committees,” Witkos complained while submitting the amendment for debate. “We now, as a legislative body, have taken the responsibility of extending the governor’s powers.”
“It reinserts this body into the process of advising or participating in the process,” Miner said in support of the proposal. “As we work our way out of this process, it should be more deliberative.”
“I believe there was a time when we needed one person to make emergency decisions and that has happened,” said Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, in support of the Republican proposal. “There were some things that we could have been doing better as we approach the tail end of this pandemic.”
Looney said a seven-day limit would create more problems than it could solve.
“It could leave the state in limbo over whether the governor could be overturned by the legislature,” Looney said, noting that businesses could be confused over whether to obey an executive order until the General Assembly could meet to ratify or reject an emergency declaration. And if the governor were to veto a legislative decision, it could further prolong uncertainty, he said.
Lamont, in a statement after the Senate action, thanked lawmakers.
“This step is critical to ensuring our vaccine and testing programs remain nimble and accessible to all of our residents, and we can continue to provide needed support for everyone in Connecticut as we work to get back to normal as quickly as possible,” he said in a statement.