FRANKFORT, Ky. — Governor Andy Beshear's executive order declaring a state of emergency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has lasted nearly two years.
One Republican Senator has introduced legislation looking to end the state of emergency along with any other executive orders that are reliant on the state of emergency.
Senator Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville, said Senate Joint Resolution 150 would mark an end date to the state of emergency as March 7, 2022, one day past the two-year mark.
"It is time to end this state of emergency," Douglas said in a press release. "This is what our people want. This is what our constituents need. Dare I say; this is what they demand."
The Republican senator said that since the start of the pandemic, overdose deaths have increased nearly 50 percent and reports of child abuse and neglect have dropped.
"The well-being of Kentuckians has received little attention from the Governor's administration," he said.
But the Governor's Communications Director, Crystal Staley, said the governor is focused on the pandemic, "not playing politics."
"The state of emergency helps Kentucky receive federal dollars to fight the pandemic and provide relief," she said. "Kentucky is open for business--there are no state restrictions on our employers and our schools have been and are open."
Staley said this new legislation is essentially undoing what the Senate had previously extended themselves. That extension is set to end April 15.
However, Douglas said, "enough is enough."
"People are mentally and emotionally exhausted, and government officials and bureaucrats have reached the limit of their effectiveness," he said. "Given the wealth of knowledge we now have on COVID-19 and the access to vaccinations and treatments, it's time we trust free people to live freely."
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