The author of a Louisiana House resolution aimed at stopping Governor John Bel Edwards from enforcing the stay-at-home order will not move forward with the legislative measure. But, House GOP Caucus Chairman Blake Miguez says he is ready to revive the effort if he thinks Governor Edwards is not moving swiftly enough to reopen the state.
"I consider it a tool in the toolbox. It was a pipe wrench that was needed at the time," said Miguez, calling Edwards "a stubborn governor."
The resolution cleared a house committee last week and was scheduled for house debate on Wednesday.
Miguez believes protests, letter-writing campaigns, social media posts, and his resolution pressured Edwards into dropping the stay-at-home order.
"The governor has got a lot of tough decisions that he is going to have to make and he is surrounded by people that are all making government paychecks and they are all government people. The private sector and the people back home had a voice in that matter and they expressed that voice through their legislators," said Miguez.
Edwards says he moved the state into phase one only after the numbers, and his medical experts, indicated it was safe to do so.
Miguez says if the reopening does lead to a spike in cases, it should not result in the entire state being put back on lockdown.
"If you go and you take a step forward and you have some kind of spike or increase in numbers and you take a regional or parish approach you can still allow the remaining part of the state to move on to phase two," said Miguez.
Governor Edwards said if a strict stay-at-home order is needed again, he’ll use a regional approach, instead of statewide.