Republican lawmakers who are upset with Governor Edwards extending the stay at home order through May 15 are talking about overriding the emergency declaration.
Rep. Alan Seabaugh (R-Shreveport) says all it will take is 53 lawmakers in the House to sign the petition.
"The law's pretty clear: I've had the attorney general look at it, I've had lawyers on the house staff look at it," said Seabaugh. "I haven't had anybody yet tell me that we can't do this."
There are 69 Republicans in the Louisiana House.
Seabaugh said Edwards would not be able to veto the petition, and it would prevent the governor from issuing an even more restrictive order for the next 60 days.
"So it would be over. The quarantine, the stay-home, the size restrictions would be over." he said "This is not affecting Winn Parish, it is not affecting Vernon Parish, there is no reason for the rest of the state to be held at the same standard of New Orleans."
New Orleans has actually been reporting decreasing new COVID-19 cases.
The governor’s executive counsel has sent a letter to legislative leadership informing them that rescinding the governor’s order would threaten billions of dollars in federal funding to Louisiana and change unemployment provisions.
Guidance issued by the Trump administration says states cannot enter phase one of a three-phase process until there have been: a downward trajectory of flu-like illnesses reported within a 14-day period and a downward trajectory of COVID-19-like syndromic cases reported within a 14-day period; a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14 day period or a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14 day period. That's something state health officials say hasn't happened yet in all nine Louisiana Department of Health Regions.
