Kentucky governor vows to head to court of COVID vetoes are overridden

(The Center Square) – Lawmakers returned to Frankfort on Tuesday to continue the 2020 General Assembly session, and Republican leaders expected to overturn vetoes issued by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on legislation that would place checks on a governor’s authority during long-term emergencies.

That includes the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Beshear told reporters the issue won’t be settled even after the Republicans carry out the votes. The GOP, which has supermajorities in both chambers, needs only simple majorities to strike down the governor’s rejections.

“We’ll see you in court,” Beshear said. “I cannot and will not let the health and the lives of the people of Kentucky be put in this danger when we are so close to getting out of this.”

Among the bills Beshear vetoed was Senate Bill 1. That bill limits the duration of a governor’s emergency order to just 30 days and only allows lawmakers to extend them.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Republicans in the legislature have said they were not engaged by Beshear as he established orders that placed restrictions on schools, businesses and gatherings. Lawmakers said they heard from their constituents about the impact many of those orders had on their businesses.

Last week, Beshear sent a letter to Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, and House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, asking them to refrain from passing legislation that restricts a governor’s authority until the COVID pandemic subsides.

During his Monday briefing, Beshear said the leaders would not engage in discussions.

He said overriding vetoes will do away with orders that place capacity limits on facilities and do away with requirements to wear masks.

Beshear said overriding his veto could be interpreted to allow Rupp Arena, the 23,500-seat home to the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team, to be filled to capacity with maskless fans. He said that would turn it into a superspreader site.

“Putting people’s lives and health at risk like that, I can’t allow that to happen,” the governor said. “I think people out there know that the virus is what opens or shuts things, and if the virus is not managed, we will not only not have the economic recovery that we want but there’ll be a lot more pain and suffering out there.”

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