Substitute House Bill No. 5653
Special Act No. 21-5
AN ACT CONCERNING DE CLARATIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND
CIVIL PREPAREDNESS E MERGENCIES AND THE C REATION OF A
BIPARTISAN COMMISSIO N TO STUDY STATUTES GOVERNING
THE ISSUANCE OF SUCH DECLARATIONS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective July 1, 2021) Notwithstanding the provisions of
sections 19a-131a and 28-9 of the general statutes, the Governor is
hereby authorized to renew: (1) The public health and civil
preparedness emergencies declared in response to the COVID-19
pandemic, and (2) any orders issued pursuant to the declarations and
the renewal of such declarations that remain in effect as of July 20, 2021,
provided any exercise of authority under this section is done in
accordance with section 2 of this act. On and after July 1, 2021, the
Governor may file the renewal of such declarations with the Secretary
of the State in accordance with section 2 of this act and any such renewal
may cover the period of time from July 21, 2021, through March 1, 2022.
Not less than five days prior to filing the renewal of any emergency
declaration with the Secretary of the State under section 2 of this act, the
Governor shall provide electronic notice of such renewal to the
president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of
Representatives, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader
of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, and Substitute House Bill No. 5653
Special Act No. 21-5 2 of 4
the minority leader of the House of Representatives. The provisions of
this section shall not limit the Governor, or any department head, state
agency or municipality from exercising any authority granted under
said sections of the general statutes from July 21, 2021, through March
1, 2022, provided any exercise of such authority in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic is done in accordance with section 2 of this act.
After March 1, 2022, nothing in this section or section 2 of this act shall
affect or limit any authority conveyed pursuant to section 19a-131a or
28-9 of the general statutes. As used in this section and section 2 of this
act, "COVID-19" means the respiratory disease designated by the World
Health Organization on February 11, 2020, as coronavirus 2019, and any
related mutation thereof recognized by said organization as a
communicable respiratory disease.
Sec. 2. (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) The Governor may renew the public
health and civil preparedness emergencies originally declared on March
10, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, provided: (1) Any such
renewed declaration shall have a duration of not more than an
additional sixty days from the date of the renewed declaration if such
renewal is made during a regular session of the General Assembly or
not more than an additional one hundred eighty days from the date of
the renewed declaration if such renewal is made when the General
Assembly is not in regular session, and (2) any such renewal issued by
the Governor shall cease to be effective unless approved by a majority
vote of each house of the General Assembly by resolution not later than
three business days after the date of filing such renewal with the
Secretary of the State.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 19a-131a and 28-9 of
the general statutes, from July 21, 2021, through March 1, 2022, the
Governor, or any department head, state agency or municipality may
exercise any authority granted under sections 19a-131a and 28-9 of the
general statutes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, provided an Substitute House Bill No. 5653
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executive order issued under such authority shall not exceed the
duration of the emergency declaration under which it has been issued
and may be disapproved by a majority vote at a meeting of a joint
legislative committee consisting of the president pro tempore of the
Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the majority leader
of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of
the House of Representatives and the minority leader of the House of
Representatives. Such joint legislative committee meeting may be
conducted on a virtual platform that can be viewed by the public. Any
disapproval of an executive order by the joint legislative committee shall
not be effective unless filed with the Secretary of the State not later than
thirty-six hours after the Governor's filing of the order with the
Secretary of the State.
Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a bipartisan
commission to study sections 19a-131a and 28-9 of the general statutes
and make recommendations on how said sections should be amended
to provide greater legislative oversight of declarations of public health
and civil preparedness emergencies and the exercise of executive
authority pursuant to said sections.
(b) The commission shall consist of the following members:
(1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
(2) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
(3) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of
Representatives;
(4) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; and
(5) One appointed by the Governor.
(c) Any member of the commission appointed under subdivision (1), Substitute House Bill No. 5653
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(2), (3), or (4) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the
General Assembly.
(d) All initial appointments to the commission shall be made not later
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall
be filled by the appointing authority.
(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro
tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the commission
from among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall
schedule the first meeting of the commission, which shall be held not
later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to government
administration and elections shall serve as administrative staff of the
commission.
(g) Not later than January 1, 2022, the commission shall submit a
report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to government administration and elections, in accordance with
the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The commission
shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2022,
whichever is later.
Approved May 17, 2021