The General Assembly will convene today for a special legislative session to hear Gov. Ned Lamont”™s request to extend his emergency executive powers
Those powers, first approved in March 10, 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic began, are set to expire on Sept. 30. Lamont is seeking to extend them through Feb. 15, 2022 ”“ a process that requires approval from the legislature.
In mid-July, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted to extend the governor”™s powers by a 73 to 56 vote. The Senate followed suit by approving that extension by a 19 to 15 vote.
However, nine House Democrats and four Senate Democrats voted against the move at that time. State Republicans have repeatedly argued against prolonging Lamont”™s emergency executive powers.
In asking for the new extension, Lamont sent a letter to legislative leaders saying that the latest discussions about vaccines for children and booster shots for adults “may require additional action with short notice and the flexibility to make rapid adjustments for which the legislative process is not well suited.
“The emergency declarations make possible, and therefore, should remain in place as we prepare for any possible winter surge and adjust our public health campaign to deal with this continuing emergency,” he wrote.
