Shreveport Representative Alan Seabaugh (R)
Republican lawmakers who are upset with Governor Edwards extending the stay at home order until May 15th are looking at overriding the emergency declaration. Shreveport Representative Alan Seabaugh says state law allows lawmakers to revoke a governor’s disaster order if a majority of the House or Senate agree to a written petition.
“The law is pretty clear, I’ve had the attorney general look at it, I’ve had lawyers on the House staff look at it and I haven’t had anyone yet tell me we can’t do this,” said Seabaugh.
Seabaugh believes they can get 53 lawmakers in the House to sign the petition since there are 69 Republicans in the lower chamber. He says Edwards could not veto and the petition can prevent the governor from issuing an even more restrictive order for the next 60 days.
“So it would be over, the quarantine, stay-at-home, the size restrictions would be over,” said Edwards.
The governor’s executive counsel has sent a letter to legislative leadership informing them that rescinding the governor’s order would threaten billions of dollars in federal funding to Louisiana, plus re-opening schools and change unemployment provisions.
The governor’s stay at home order is designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but Seabaugh says it’s also forcing people into poverty, especially in parishes that are reporting a small number of cases.
“This is not affecting Winn Parish, it is not affecting Vernon Parish, there is no reason for the rest of the state to be held at the same standard of New Orleans,” said Sebaugh.
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