House and Senate chambers override governor's veto on power-limiting bill

INDIANAPOLIS—Both the Indiana House and the Indiana Senate voted on Thursday to override Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto of House Bill 1123, which seeks to limit his authority to act in emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The House overrode the veto in a 59-26 vote, and the Senate followed a few hours later, voting 36-8 mostly along party lines. The action means the new law is effective immediately, setting up a potential challenge in the courts.

House Bill 1123, authored by Rep. Matt Lehman, R-Berne, limits the powers of the executive branch like those Holcomb has exercised since declaring a state of emergency at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.The bill instead would require the General Assembly to convene in an emergency session to act without the governor’s approval.

With Thursday’s action, Indiana joins eight states that have already signed laws limit the power of the governor during the time of emergency, according to the digital political encyclopedia Ballotpedia.

Read more: http://thestatehousefile.com/44949/house-and-senate-chambers-override-governors-veto-on-power-limiting-bill/