42 GOP members in Assembly want end to Cuomo’s emergency powers

‘The Governor failed the people of our state in 2020 with mismanagement of this pandemic which left businesses in countless industries closed and without income for far too long.’ – Assemblyman Steve Hawley

Local State Assembly members – Steve Hawley (R-Batavia) and Mike Norris (R-Lockport) – are among 42 Republicans in the Assembly calling on the State Legislature’s leaders to end Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s emergency powers.

The Republicans signed a letter on Dec. 15 that was sent to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Senate Minority Leader Robert Ott. The Assembly members are asking the Legislature pass legislation to curb Gov. Cuomo’s emergency powers, which have persisted since March.

The governor has used his emergency powers to implement several directives unilaterally, and Hawley believes his emergency authority has been too expansive and lasted too long.

“New Yorkers deserve a return to representative government,” Hawley said . “The problems that have emerged during this pandemic are too complex for one man to handle, and our constituents deserve to have their concerns voiced by the representatives they elected to speak on behalf of their unique districts.”

Hawley was critical of the governor for a shutdown in the spring and restrictions on many businesses and organizations, which Cuomo said were needed to slow the spread of Covid-19.

“The Governor failed the people of our state in 2020 with mismanagement of this pandemic which left businesses in countless industries closed and without income for far too long, and we owe it to them to do better and take local factors more strongly into consideration before shutting down local businesses that people rely on to feed their families,” Hawley said.