Keystone Today

A bill has been passed by the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee to modify the state constitution to limit gubernatorial proclamations and executive orders to 21 days.

House Bill 2069 and House Bill 2070 were approved by the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee, but the measure fell along party lines with a 14-10 vote, according to The Center Square.

“Our constitution is very clear that no single branch of our government, nor any unelected bureaucrat, should ever have the unilateral and unchecked authority to issue open-ended orders or regulations,” House Speaker Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster), who sponsored both bills, told The Center Square. “The divisions of power and checks and balances among our three branches of government are the very components of why free people allow themselves to be governed.”

The impetus for the regulation is rooted in disagreements over the executive orders issued by Gov. Tom Wolf (D) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rep. Maureen Madden (D-Tobyhanna) said that it was a problematic decision for Republicans to make, considering the circumstances.

“(This was a) knee-jerk reaction to a once-in-a-century pandemic where the branches of government didn’t agree, and now we’re taking that power away,” she told The Center Square. “I just don’t think it’s a smart maneuver for this governor or any other governor to take away that power and enshrine it in the constitution.”

Last month, Wolf's approval rating was at 42%, according to GoErie.

Voters in the state had already voted against Wolf's restrictive pandemic policies when they voted to rein in the emergency powers of the governor in May by approving a constitutional amendment, according to NBC Philadelphia.