Texas Scorecard by Michael Quinn Sullivan May 13, 2020
What does Greg Abbott know about the abilities, intellect, and even morals, of our legislators that makes them unfit for setting public policy during the coronavirus emergency?We’ve now had the governor of Texas serving as a one-man legislature for nearly 60 days, literally making up vast new laws and regulations, countermanding some, and even throwing out old laws. This goes far beyond any “emergency†powers for the governor our constitution and statutes ever contemplated.
The ramifications for our form of government cannot be overstated. No one intended the executive branch to become the de facto legislative branch, but that is what has happened since the onset of the “coronavirus†emergency. While the state’s constitution and statutes make provisions for the governor to take actions during a true emergency – hurricane, or other natural or manmade disaster – all presume those to be tightly limited in time and geography. But a statewide “pandemic†emergency stretching for months? None.
The state constitution allows a governor at any time to call a special session immediately, in 30-day increments. A governor can call as many as he likes, in a series and without interruption.
That hasn’t happened in Texas during this coronavirus madness – despite the massive scope of change we have seen, the upheaval in life, and the raw assumption of power at so many levels.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/blog/commentary-who-needs-a-legislature/
