Assemblyman Brian Manktelow (R,C,I,Ref-Lyons) is displeased to announce legislation which would limit the amount of power Gov. Cuomo has during emergency declarations was shot down in the early morning hours on Friday, May 29 on the Assembly Floor. This would have restored the checks and balances in the legislative process in regard to emergency declarations, which exceed 45 days, in addition to ensuring that any actions, which would affect fundamental constitutional rights, received the proper judicial due process.

“As we have clearly seen over the past few weeks, the governor has way too much power when it comes to dealing with the state of New York,” said Manktelow. “Many of us fought against the governor giving himself so much power in the first place, but unfortunately our hands were tied, as denying that meant denying residents the much-needed relief for COVID-19. While there are times when we do and will need direct action to be taken by the governor, this is not always 100 percent the case. The governor should not be making all these decisions on his own. It is not fair to the residents of New York who deserve equal attention, which is why we have the other branches of the government such as the Assembly and Senate.”

Currently, during a state of emergency, the governor is able to issue executive orders to suspend laws and regulations. Since the declaration of a state of emergency on March 7, the governor has issued 33 executive orders which has greatly affected many industries and causing millions of New Yorkers to lose their employment.