Vote “YES” to Restore Checks and Balances in Pennsylvania!

On May 18th, Pennsylvanians will vote on a constitutional amendment that would limit the duration of any emergency declared by the governor to 21 days unless expressly extended by the General Assembly. It would also assert that no substantially similar emergency can be declared once the first declaration expires unless expressly authorized by the General Assembly.

This amendment will help to uphold the principle that the government’s authority to exercise its powers in an emergency must be properly constrained to not infringe upon the rights and privileges of individuals and private groups.

The decision to impose emergency declarations and the direction of the state government's response lies with an executive official, which in this case is the governor, should be completed in collaboration with members of the General Assembly, as direct representatives of the people of Pennsylvania.

Therefore, appropriate checks on a governor’s ability to impose and extend emergency declarations must be added to the Pennsylvania Constitution to guard against the risks associated with investing a single individual with the power to act under “emergency” conditions.

Sign the petition to say you’ll vote “YES” to the Constitutional amendment to restore checks and balances in our state government!