(HARRISBURG) – State Senator Ryan Aument (R-36) today applauded Pennsylvania voters for voting yes on two amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution in Tuesday’s Primary Election.
The two amendments to the Constitution were designed to improve the way the state responds to future emergencies. One limits an emergency declaration to 21 days unless the General Assembly approves a longer duration. The other clarifies that the governor will not be able to unilaterally veto legislative action that ends the declaration, as Governor Wolf has done.
The legislation authorizing the ballot referendum on these topics was originally passed by both chambers of the General Assembly in 2020 and again in 2021 before being sent to voters for final passage yesterday.
Senator Aument issued the following statement in response to the news of the amendments’ passage:
“This is a powerful statement by the people of Pennsylvania. While I have consistently fought back against the Governor’s unilateral orders and urged the Administration to work with Republicans in the General Assembly so that we could all produce better results for Pennsylvania, it is ultimately the citizens of this Commonwealth who have spoken definitively about how they want emergencies to be handled moving forward.
“Approving these two constitutional amendments signals to the Administration that voters in this Commonwealth reject the status quo – they want their government to collaborate during emergencies, not exercise indefinite, unchecked unilateral power. These amendments will help to restore the necessary checks and balances that are foundational to our form of democracy, clearing the way for true collaboration to occur.
“Through my work with the Joint COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, I’ve witnessed firsthand how effective this type of collaboration is. The progress of the task force model clearly demonstrates that we can respond to a crisis in real-time, and improve outcomes, when the Governor and General Assembly work together. Now that the people of Pennsylvania have spoken, we must begin the steps to adopt a better way to handle emergencies that ensures accountability and collaboration across all branches and levels of government.”
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CONTACT: Stephanie Applegate (717) 787-4420