Editorial Roundup: Indiana

KPC News. March 7, 2021. Editorial: Glick’s bill puts reasonable reins on governor Last fall we reported that Indiana legislators were looking to rein in the emergency powers of the state’s governor. At the time, Gov. Eric Holcomb’s emergency orders to combat COVID-19 had been in effect for eight months. They had restricted schools, businesses and public events in various ways. State lawmakers believed those decisions should be made in partnership with 150 elected legislators, instead of by a single man or woman. Now, it’s been a year since Holcomb took sole charge of protecting public health – much like other governors across the nation. From all the ideas at the Statehouse, the power-sharing plan that emerged is Senate Bill 407, with our Sen. Sue Glick, R-LaGrange, as the lead author. We think senators made a good choice when they passed Glick’s bill by a 38-8 vote on Feb. 23 and sent it to the House of Representatives for action. We’ve come to see Glick as one of the best voices of reason in the Statehouse. If she’s upset about the balance of power between the governor and the Legislature, it’s probably for good reason. The governor’s emergency powers never were intended for a year-long state of emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Glick contends. Instead, those powers should allow the governor to act quickly in case of an immediate disaster such as a flood or tornado. A year ago, the pandemic did require fast action. Maybe it shouldn’t have caught us with our guard down, but that’s what happened. Glick’s bill would allow the governor to act alone for 30 days. However, he immediately would have to huddle with five top leaders of the Legislature – from both parties. Glick’s proposed rules are a little more complex than this, but simply stated, a governor could not enforce emergency orders for longer than 60 days without approval of the Legislature. During the second month, legislators could vote to continue an emergency order, terminate it, or do nothing and let it expire at the end of 60 days. Most likely, some negotiation would occur as the governor tried to design an order that would meet the approval of legislators. Over the past year, ‘œI believe the real concern developed when there were decisions made to close down all of the economy of the state of Indiana,’� Glick said at a recent public forum in Waterloo. If legislators had been asked, she said, ‘œWe certainly would have had some input in the picking of winners and losers – which businesses could be open and which could not.’� There’s no guarantee that 150 legislators would make better decisions than Holcomb has made over the past year in fighting the pandemic. On the other hand, there’s no guarantee that in the future we’ll have a governor who would act as responsibly as Holcomb. If legislators had been involved, Indiana likely would have been somewhat more ‘œopen’� than it has been. Overall, we have the sense that Indiana has weathered the pandemic better than many states. In our corner of Indiana, schools have been open all year with no controversy. Our unemployment rates have returned to near-normal levels. Most local residents are meeting their basic needs, while still missing the extras that make life more enjoyable – such as school and entertainment events and public celebrations. Hope for better times is growing as more Hoosiers receive vaccinations against the coronavirus. It seems to us that Indiana’s vaccination campaign is better organized than in many states. Holcomb may not have handled the crisis perfectly, but we credit him for steering a course between too loose and too restrictive.