Sen. Sampson on the Potential Extension of Lamont’s Emergency Powers

HARTFORD – Monday, August 31, Governor Lamont met with the leaders of the four caucuses of the CT General Assembly about the possibility of requesting an extension of the current state of emergency and civil preparedness issued in March.  Set to expire next week, the declarations gave Governor Lamont sole authority over state governance as Connecticut navigated the pandemic.

State Senator Rob Sampson (R-16) serves as the ranking senator of the legislature’s Government, Administration and Elections Committee and has been pushing directly back on the Governor’s overuse of his executive power since his unchecked determination on what businesses could be considered “essential” in March.  In reaction, Sen. Sampson offers the following statement:

The Governor has made it clear he intends to extend his executive authority for another six months rather than let it expire on September 9th as scheduled.

To that I say, ‘Enough already.’  It is time for the state legislature to retake control of the lawmaking responsibility for our state.

It is shocking that the Governor and legislative Democrats – not to mention most of the news media in our state – can pretend this makes any sense at all. I am further disappointed to see that the Republican leaders are not taking a stand to say NO.

How can the Governor and legislative leaders plan to convene the legislature for a special session on the exact same day that Lamont will argue that it is too dangerous for the legislature to meet so he must continue to rule by executive order?

It is obvious what is happening.  Hartford Democrats love this situation.   Their Governor gets to do as he pleases.  Democrat legislators are off the hook for hard choices about the looming budget deficit, business closures, landlords forced into bankruptcy, nursing home visits, and a million other ACTUAL problems that should be addressed.

Instead, they will drag us in for a bunch of political wedge issue bills designed to impact the upcoming November election.

My position on issues, nor my ability to express my viewpoint does not change due to the proximity of the election.

I am standing up now to say: it’s time for the nonsense to stop. The leaders should bring the legislature in and vote on each and every one of the Governor’s executive orders.   Surely. it is perfectly safe.  The Legislature managed to go into Hartford in July and vote on anti-police bills and insurance mandates.