Proposal to Kill COVID-19 State of Emergency Rejected in Committee

On Tuesday, state lawmakers in the State Senate committee rejected a proposal from Senator Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) that would bring an end to the state of emergency which was declared by Governor Gavin Newsom.

The state of emergency began in March of 2020 and has lasted 700 days. As of Tuesday, more than half the states have formally ended their emergency.

The bill failed in committee in a bipartisan 4-8 vote with all republicans supporting it and all democrats voting against—three democrats failed to cast a vote including Senator Steve Glazer (D-Contra Costa County)

“Regrettably, my SCR 5 to end the State of Emergency failed to pass today. The democrat majority is content to abdicate their responsibilities to the governor. The state of emergency will continue, as will the governor’s power to close schools and shut down businesses,” said Melendez.

Senate Bill (SB) 448 enacts the Emergency Powers Limitation Act, which requires any future emergency order to be narrowly tailored to serve a compelling public health or safety purpose and limited in duration, applicability, and scope. It would further prohibit a state agency from issuing an emergency order that infringes on an express constitutional right and would require that an emergency order issued by the Governor that infringes on an express constitutional right expire within a specified time period. As previously announced, Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 (SCR 5) aims to end the State of Emergency, restore checks and balances between the Legislative and Executive branches and allow local governments to handle the pandemic locally instead of top-down mandates from the state.

Melendez was granted reconsideration, meaning she could bring the resolution forward again at a later date.