Update 7/20/20 @ 7:30am:
House Votes to Amend Pennsylvania Constitution
The state House has approved a proposed constitutional amendment to ensure our citizens are fully represented and safeguard our representative democracy during state-declared emergencies.
The proposal comes in response to the clear power imbalance between our state’s branches of government. It is important to recognize that your state elected officials are your closest voice in Harrisburg. By not allowing the General Assembly to be involved in any decision-making process, your voice, interests, and needs in our state’s Capitol are muffled.
In an effort to clarify legislative and executive authority, Senate Bill 1166 seeks to amend the state Constitution by requiring passage of a concurrent resolution by the Legislature for any disaster emergency declaration a governor wishes to extend beyond a period of 21 days. This would provide an effective balance between ensuring the governor has the authority to act quickly in an immediate emergency situation while also ensuring the General Assembly is properly engaged in the process of addressing long-term response and recovery processes.
The bill was approved by the House and Senate. A constitutional amendment proposal must be approved by both the House and Senate in two consecutive sessions and then be put before the voters in a referendum before it can be enacted.
The need for this change to the Constitution was reinforced Tuesday when the governor vetoed the concurrent resolution adopted in the House and Senate to end the disaster declaration. While we believe House Resolution 836 stood on its own and did not require the governor to approve or veto it, the state Supreme Court ruled otherwise. That’s why Senate Bill 1166 also includes a proposed amendment to establish that a resolution terminating or extending a disaster emergency declaration, including a portion thereof, need not be presented to the governor.
Original Post:
Editor's Note:
Hats off to Rosemary Brown for actually creating and posting this video.
This is the important discussion - not what we're seeing in the media!
Via Rosemary Brown:
A resolution to bring the legislative branch back into the decision-making process and end the emergency declaration was presented to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature last Wednesday after the state Supreme Court ruled it had to be submitted to him for action. The governor has made it clear he will veto House Resolution 836, despite its bipartisan passage in the General Assembly.
In case the link doesn't work, copy & paste:
https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pagopvideo/723405904.mp4
Related:
Committee Advances Bill to Ensure Citizens are Heard During Emergency Declarations
The House State Government Committee has approved a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution to ensure our citizens are fully represented, even during state-declared emergencies.
After the glaring governmental imbalance demonstrated during the current disaster declaration, the state house has taken steps to provide as a stronger check on executive power safeguarding the voice of the people.
Senate Bill 1166 seeks to amend the state Constitution by requiring passage of a concurrent resolution by the Legislature for any disaster emergency declaration a governor wishes to extend beyond a period of 21 days. This would provide an effective balance between ensuring the governor has the authority to act quickly in an immediate emergency situation while also ensuring the General Assembly is properly engaged in the process of addressing long-term response and recovery processes.
A constitutional amendment proposal must be approved by both the House and Senate in two consecutive sessions and then be put before the voters in a referendum before it can be enacted.
