No. HB 621
States of Emergency; Provides that state of emergency renewed by Governor expires within specified timeframe; authorizes Legislature to extend state of emergency under specified circumstances; provides that such extension is valid for specified timeframe; prohibits such timeframe from exceeding end of next regular session; requires Governor to immediately issue certain executive order or proclamation consistent with Legislature's concurrent resolution terminating state of emergency; prohibits Governor from declaring substantially similar state of emergency under specified conditions; requires AG to update quarterly specified audit, rather than annually.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDA state of emergency the Governor keeps renewing now automatically expires after one year, cancelling every order and rule issued under it. The Legislature can extend it, but only with a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.
Any legislative extension must have a firm end date, no later than the close of the next regular session. The Legislature can also end a state of emergency at any time by concurrent resolution.
Once the Legislature ends or lets an emergency lapse, the Governor cannot declare a substantially similar one. The Governor must also act immediately whenever lawmakers vote to end an emergency by resolution.
Once a state of emergency passes one year, the Auditor General must update its financial and compliance audit every quarter instead of once a year, for as long as the emergency continues.
AIA state of emergency the Governor keeps renewing now has a hard one-year limit. At that point it, and every order, proclamation, or rule issued under it, terminates automatically unless the Legislature votes to extend it.
AIOnly a two-thirds vote of the full membership of each legislative chamber can extend an emergency past one year, and that extension must include a specific termination date no later than the close of the next regular session.
AIOnce the Legislature terminates a state of emergency or lets it expire, the Governor cannot declare a substantially similar one, closing off using a new declaration to keep the same emergency running.
AIWhen the Legislature votes by concurrent resolution to end a state of emergency, the Governor is now required to issue the conforming executive order or proclamation immediately, rather than on his or her own timetable.
AIOnce a declared emergency has run longer than a year, the Auditor General must update the required financial and compliance audit of its spending every quarter, rather than once a year, for as long as it continues.