(INDIANAPOLIS) — Republicans have taken the lead on bills limiting Governor Holcomb’s
emergency powers, but the top Senate Democrat says he supports the general idea.
Minority Leader Greg Taylor (D-Indianapolis) says the Senate bill didn’t give local decisionmakers
enough say. He says the coronavirus pandemic isn’t typical — most emergencies are confined to a
handful of counties, and Taylor says legislators shouldn’t be making decisions for local officials
they don’t represent.
But while Taylor says he voted against the bill for that reason, he says he supports the bill’s central provision of requiring legislative approval for an emergency longer than two months. He says a governor has to be the one who takes immediate action when it’s needed, but he agrees with Republicans that shouldn’t go on indefinitely.
The pandemic exploded just days after legislators adjourned for the year in March 2020. Holcomb
has extended his emergency declaration several times since then — the latest extension runs
through the end of March. The House overwhelmingly rejected an attempt to terminate the
emergency, but legislators have said they want more of a say in emergencies which break out
when they’re not in session.
Senate President Pro Tem Rod Bray (R-Martinsville) says Holcomb has consulted regularly with legislative leaders. The bill would formally require it, creating a five-member advisory board of the four House and Senate party leaders plus a fifth legislator.
Bray says there are still differences to work out with the House bill, which explicitly forbids local
governments from taking stricter action than the state. The House bill also gives the 16-member
Legislative Council the power to call a special session on its own, and exempts houses of worship
from any emergency restrictions.
Bray says he wants to focus on how long an emergency can last, not insert legislators into the
details of a governor’s actions. He and Taylor both say those day-to-day specifics are better left to
the governor than the legislature.
Holcomb says he has problems with both versions but says there’s plenty of time to work
something out.
South Bend Democrat David Niezgodski joined Republicans in passing the Senate bill on Tuesday. Five House Democrats joined all but four Republicans in supporting the House bill.
