Indiana Republicans push back on governor's COVID-19 powers

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is nearing a year under the coronavirus public health emergency issued by Gov. Eric Holcomb as some of his fellow Republicans in the state Legislature aren’t letting up on attempts to rein in the authority he’s used to impose mask rules and restrictions on businesses and crowds.

Holcomb this past week signed an executive order extending the state’s health emergency and mask mandate until March 1, an action he took three days after a Republican House committee chairman took action on a bill to broadly limit such public health orders and questioned the effectiveness of face mask in preventing COVID-19 spread.

Republican legislative leaders have kept their distance from that proposal, while saying they expect lawmakers to give themselves greater oversight of long-lasting use of the governor’s emergency powers following months of criticism from some conservatives of Holcomb’s steps and government intrusion on personal freedom.

Governors across the country are facing similar pushbacks and Holcomb says he doesn’t want to give up the authority to act quickly.

Read more: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/indiana-republicans-push-back-on-governors-covid-19-powers/article_54b40e8e-e01f-5d01-88cc-a690103aee30.html