Well, we’ve had our first preview of legislation to replace Governor Phil Murphy’s executive powers on Tuesday, Save Jerseyans, and if you were naive enough to think you’d be more free if it passed? You haven’t been paying attention. At all!
As predicted, the legislation is pretty much a codification of Murphy’s current executive authority. Yes, there is now technically a legislative check (it only took them 15 months!) and a time limit (until the end of the year), but Murphy still gets to be a dictator from now through Election 2021 and the end of year. And why the end of 2021 given that restrictions are going away everywhere else in the country? Could it possibly have something to do with reelection?
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News12’s Alex Zdan broke it down on Twitter:
NEW: Bill ENDING NJ's public health emergency lets @GovMurphy KEEP these powers til Jan. 1, 2022:
1. Eviction moratorium (From Executive Order 106)
2. Mandate daily healthcare facility data reports (EO 111)
3. Reactivate retired healthcare workers (EO 112)
THREAD:@News12NJ— Alex Zdan (@ActualAlexZ) May 18, 2021
10. Workplace covid safety protocols, which MAY include temp checks, barriers and allowing workplaces to ban people not wearing facemasks (EO 192)
11. Automatically enrolling residents who get vaccinated into state's vaccine registry (EO 207)MORE:
— Alex Zdan (@ActualAlexZ) May 18, 2021
A word on #15…bill says the "most recent" E order stays in place…which now means indoor masking and 6 feet of distance…
Gov can ONLY make that order LESS restrictive…UNLESS we hit an RT of 1.0 or higher, increased hospitalizations and/or increased spot positivity.
MORE:— Alex Zdan (@ActualAlexZ) May 18, 2021
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So instead of being a dictator in his own right for another year or more, Save Jerseyans, Phil Murphy would be an Ancient Roman-style dictator under this legislation. Forgive me if I don’t sing my enthusiasm!
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