WA Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Adjust Governor's Emergency Powers

OLYMPIA, WA — New legislation introduced in Olympia Tuesday would increase state lawmakers' authority over the governor's emergency powers while the legislature is not in session. Sen. Emily Randall (D-Bremerton)'s Senate Bill 5909 would add legislative checks to state of emergency declarations and "prohibitive emergency orders" after 90 days.

"The pandemic made it clear — to my neighbors and to Washingtonians in every corner of our state — that our current system of government gives a lot of power to one person in the executive branch in times of emergency," Randall said in a statement. "And if the legislature isn't in session during a declared emergency, there is no opportunity for legislators to make sure the concerns and priorities of our communities are a part of the decision-making process."

The proposed bill would grant a small group of legislative leaders the authority to terminate state of emergency declarations or emergency orders, like vaccine mandates and eviction moratoria, while the legislature is not in session if at least three months have passed since the initial declaration. To do so, the majority and minority leaders of the state House and Senate would need to reach a "four-corner agreement."

Randall's proposal garnered support from her Democratic colleague, Sen. Kevin Van De Wege (D-Sequim), who signed on as the bill's lead co-sponsor.

"At this time last year, when there were very few exposures in our community, we were lumped in with more severe communities in terms of restrictions, and many of our businesses were hurt needlessly," Van De Wege said in a statement. "While the governor needs emergency powers to keep our state safe, we need the ability to be able to make sure any emergency orders reflect the conditions and needs of our community and not others."

Thursday marks two years since Washington identified the state's first confirmed COVID-19 infection in Snohomish County. Since then, the state Department of Health has reported almost 1 million confirmed cases, nearly 50,000 hospitalizations and more than 10,000 deaths across the state.

This year's legislative session began on Jan. 10 and is scheduled to last for 60 days.