Pinal state lawmakers want legislature to have final say over governor’s emergencies
Some lawmakers representing Pinal County districts say it’s time to revisit Arizona laws that give the governor broad powers in cases of emergency.
Rep. Mark Finchem, R-Oro Valley, wants a constitutional amendment sent to the ballot to require governors to get the “advice and consent” of the Legislature within a certain period — perhaps 14 days — of declaring an emergency. He said the state’s chief executive would need to provide lawmakers with “evidence that an emergency exists.”
Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, said she’s not willing to wait to have voters consider constitutional restraints on the power of the governor. She wants a special session of the Legislature this fall to reconsider the powers that were given to governors, some specifically in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in 2002.
