Providence, RI - The Deputy Speaker the Rhode Island House of Representatives publicly challenged the legality of the Governor's newly declared "state of emergency" as well as the tacit approval of General Assembly leadership. Representative Charlene Lima's comments were made as a guest yesterday on the popular web-based show, In The Dugout with Mike Stenhouse, a video production of the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity.
Lima (D, Cranston), along with co-guest, Representative Brian Newberry (R, Burrillville) decried the "end around" power-play by Governor McKee, when he defied the legislative action (he himself signed into law in July) that effectively ended his emergency executive powers, by declaring a new state of emergency last week based on the new Delta variant of Covid-19.
"I applaud Rep. Lima for speaking out against this obvious executive over-reach and to challenge General Assembly leadership to do something about it," said Stenhouse, CEO for the Center. "It was a bi-partisan legislative effort to restrict emergency executive powers in June; and I fully support her call for renewed bi-partisan legislative action to stop the executive branch's new power-play."
On the Tuesday's In The Dugout show, Lima called it "absurd" and "ridiculous" that the Governor could arbitrarily and unilaterally extend his executive powers for 180 days anytime a new variant might appear on the scene. She called on the Governor to "pull that executive order," which she claimed was "trying to deceive the public." Lima and Newberry agreed that legislative checks and balances are required to best manage the state's response to the pandemic. Former state Supreme Court Justice Robert Flanders, also a guest on the episode, called such executive over-reach, "tyranny".
Lima further stated that she would soon approach Speaker of the House, Joseph Shekarchi (D, Warwick), about immediately reconvening the General Assembly to debate this issue, and indicated that other Democrats would be on board with legislators seeking to reclaim their rightful constitutional authority. Shekarchi, despite previously supporting legislation to end the original state of emergency, is now indicating that he doesn't plan to intervene against the newly declared state of emergency.
During the episode, Stenhouse and Flanders also discussed in detail the stunning developments in the town of Glocester, which itself formally challenged the legality of the oppressive executive actions by the Governor and the Board of Education with regard to mask mandates for students.
