Republican lawmakers prepare to limit Indiana governor's emergency powers

For nearly 300 days, Indiana has been in a state of emergency due to COVID-19. That order was given by Gov. Eric Holcomb, who has extended the public health emergency nine times.

Since the start of the pandemic, Holcomb, a Republican, has pushed back on criticism from those on the far right of his party about his use of emergency powers to require face masks and impose restrictions on how businesses operate in order to stop the spread of the disease.

But when lawmakers come back to the Statehouse next week for the 2021 legislative session, it won't be just those on the fringes of his party that threaten his powers heading into his second term in office. Republican legislative leaders in both chambers also have promised to take a look at the emergency powers held by Hoosier governors.

That means there could be some tension between the two branches. Democrats have already sought to capitalize on any friction, with Drew Anderson, a spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party, sending a press release calling the disagreement "a civil war within its ranks."

Read more: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/republican-lawmakers-prepare-to-limit-indiana-governors-emergency-powers/article_83daf01a-49f1-11eb-b4be-f71f08419ac2.html