Pennsylvania was one of the few states in the country that allowed a governor to declare an emergency, institute restrictions and then renew those restrictions as often as they want unchecked.
After living through Governor Tom Wolf restrictions for a year, Pennsylvania voters were fed up and on May 18th took power away from the governor and future ones.
Just before the vote, Wolf announced he would lift the remaining limitations on crowd capacity after Memorial Day weekend and once 70% of adults are vaccinated will lift the mask mandate.
Pennsylvania voters amended the state constitution that will only allow a governor to declare an emergency for 21 days, then the governor and the legislator must work together.
“Last night, Pennsylvanians voted to reject Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf’s overreach of executive powers after his failed COVID response — a clear sign of accountability coming in 2022,” Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel tweeted Wednesday.
Despite knowing that his power is gone, the day after the results were official Wolf renewed the state’s COVID disaster declaration.
“COVID-19 vaccinations have increased dramatically in recent weeks and we are making significant progress in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19,” a defiant Wolf said in a statement. “As previously announced, we are lifting all mitigation measures on Memorial Day, but we need just a little more time under this current disaster declaration to ensure that we do not risk valuable resources that will help Pennsylvania recover from the pandemic.”
Wolf knows that the new constitutional amendments aren’t official until the election is certified in a couple of weeks, meaning he could keep Pennsylvania locked down through almost the entire summer if he chooses to.
Wolf claimed that the new declaration is to help low income families and medical professionals administer the vaccines.
“The disaster declaration allows more medical professionals to administer vaccines, ensures families harmed financially by the pandemic have access to healthy food through SNAP benefits and ensures Pennsylvania counties and businesses remain eligible for federal disaster recovery dollars,” Wolf said.
“We will continue to monitor vaccination rates and adjust mitigation orders accordingly. I have been in touch with the General Assembly regarding this extension, and we will continue to collaborate on the future of this disaster declaration and any future declarations that become necessary to help Pennsylvanians in the midst of an emergency.”
Associated Press | Bucks County Courier Times
