Page Vetoes Limits On Public Health Orders, States Of Emergency In St. Louis County

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has fulfilled a promise to veto two pieces of legislation he says would have severely hurt his ability to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“With growing numbers across the state, and across the county, St. Louis County cannot give up in its fight against COVID-19,” Page said Monday at his regular press briefing. “But giving up is exactly what Bills 222 and 223 are asking us to do.”

Under the legislation, Page or any future county executive would still have been able to issue states of emergency or public health orders like the mask mandate currently in place. But the council would have had to approve any extensions beyond 15 days by a two-thirds majority, or five votes.

Democrat Rita Heard Days broke with Page and her Democratic colleagues last week to approve the legislation by a 4-3 vote at the end of a meeting that lasted nearly a week as members listened to more than 2,000 public comments. But another member of the Democratic majority would have to defect in order to override the veto, which appears unlikely.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2020-10-26/page-vetoes-limits-on-public-health-orders-states-of-emergency