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 any declaration of a state of emergency or 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, with the requirement to call the legislature into special session again before the expiration of each extension.

Additionally, the bill specifies that the governor can only declare one state of emergency or public health 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 new provisions, ensuring that legislative oversight is a critical component of managing emergency declarations in the state.

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