State Legislature renews governor’s health emergency powers

Posted on: 5/8/20

On May 1, Gov. Kevin Stitt renewed his declaration of a health emergency under the Catastrophic Health Emergency Powers Act. At 8 a.m. Tuesday, the Legislature met and concurred with the governor’s declaration by passing Senate Concurrent Resolution 1, but this time there are caveats. The resolution requires the governor, within two business days of passage, to identify those items contained within his previous declaration that he intends to carry over and items he wishes to add under the new declaration of a health emergency.

For all intents and purposes, the accounting of the actions taken by the governor under the unprecedented authority the office now has would be beneficial for our industry. It would provide clarity as to the actions that may be addressed through a continuation of executive orders versus actions that would require the catastrophic health emergency declaration. (Scott Tohlen)