This bill amends the All Hazard Emergency Management Act and the Public Health Emergency Response Act to establish legislative oversight over emergency declarations made by the governor. Specifically, it stipulates that a declaration of a state of emergency or a public health emergency will automatically terminate after ninety days unless the governor convenes a special session of the legislature to address the emergency circumstances. The special session must occur no later than the ninetieth day following the initial declaration. If the legislature does not act to restrict, suspend, or terminate the emergency during this session, the governor may extend the declaration for an additional period not exceeding sixty days.

Furthermore, the bill specifies that the governor can only declare one state of emergency for a particular event, and any subsequent declaration for the same event requires prior legislative consent. The existing law is amended to reflect these changes, particularly noting that a declaration of a public health emergency shall cease to be in effect after ninety days unless the governor calls the legislature into special session, thereby ensuring that legislative oversight is maintained throughout the duration of any emergency declaration.

Statutes affected:
introduced version: 12-10A-5