Joint Statement of State Senator Tony Hwang and State Representative Laura Devlin on Pending Legislative Vote on Governor Lamont’s Executive Orders, particularly on EO 9-1 School Mask Mandate
As we begin the CT General Assembly legislative session on February 9, 2022, the realization that Governor Lamont’s emergency executive powers are finally ending after nearly 2 years is growing. The eleven remaining Executive Orders that will expire on February 15, 2022, have given new energy to parents, teachers, and even some administrators who are voicing their opposition to extending EO 9-1, the mandate for masking children in schools or childcare settings. As such, they are also demanding to know where their elected legislative representatives and senators stand on this issue. We have both publicly stated our support of ending school mask mandates unless justified by validated medical data and facts and consistency in mask mandate policies. You can read them here (State Senator Tony Hwang) and here (State Representative Laura Devlin).
As legislators, it’s our responsibility to represent the voices of our constituents in our respective legislative chambers as a co-equal branch of state government. That’s why we also strongly believe that should the eleven remaining Executive Orders issued by Governor Lamont come to a vote, they need to be voted on independently and not as a full package of 11 EO’s into 1 vote. Each of these orders addresses very specific matters. Some may not have compelling reasons to extend while for others, the need may be imperative. Packaging these Executive Orders together for a single vote only serves to shield legislators from the accountability their constituents expect and deserve.
In representing the voice of the people, we should also provide a forum for them to share with us directly, which is the purpose of the public hearing process. Before any Executive Orders are codified in state law, the public deserves the opportunity to be heard and observe their representative leaders vote on the matter.
State Senator Tony Hwang Statement 1-21-22: https://ctsenaterepublicans.com/2022/01/sen-tony-hwang-responds-to-gov-lamonts-emergency-powers-school-mask-mandate/
State Representative Laura Devlin Statement 1-25-22: https://www.cthousegop.com/devlin/2022/01/25/state-rep-laura-devlin-statement-on-the-extension-of-the-governors-executive-powers/
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