The House and Senate agree on legislation allowing lawmakers to strike down specific public health restrictions without overturning the Governor’s entire public health order.
Erath Representative and House Republican Caucus Chair Blake Miguez said his constituents demanded action on loosening pandemic health restrictions and this bill gives lawmakers a tool to do that.
“It is just another safeguard to make sure that we don’t get into a situation where we have a tyrannical governor who would take control of the Government and take the voice out of the people,” said Miguez.
HB 4 is headed to the Governor and if signed would allow certain limitations like stadium capacity to be struck down while maintaining orders like mask mandates. The Governor has previously indicated he would veto efforts to undercut his public health authority.
The Democratic Caucus voted against the bill. Laplace Representative and Democrat Randal Gaines said striking at the Governor’s ability to manage the pandemic endangers public health.
“The dictates of an emergency situation require immediate response and it usually requires central leadership and not necessarily leadership by committee,” said Gaines.
Under the bill, the Governor would still be allowed to issue an emergency order but 30 days later when it came time for a renewal a majority vote in the House and Senate could remove certain parts of it, or overturn the entire order.
Miguez disagreed with critics who say limiting the Governor’s authority is dangerous.
“Seven, eight months after an emergency order has been issued I would say that it is no longer a situation where you have to have the Governor running the entire emergency response,” said Miguez.
The bill only won 54 votes, had 30 nays, and 21 lawmakers abstained. Baton Rouge Representative Barry Ivey was one of two Republicans to vote against the legislation and called it a mess that lawmakers were given no time to read before the vote was held.
“There are so many deficiencies in the instrument,” said Ivey. “We can do better than this, our constituents deserve better than this.”
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