ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Louis County Council will vote for the first time Tuesday on two bills that would give them oversight on emergency and public health orders issued during a pandemic such as COVID-19.
Bills 151 and 152 are co-sponsored by District 7 council member Mark Harder and District 3 council member Tim Fitch. If approved, two charter amendments could go to a public vote on the Nov. 3 election.
The bills would allow the county executive and the Department of Public Health director to issue a state of emergency or public health order for the first 15 days in the case of a pandemic. But after that, the county council would have to pass a resolution to allow the orders to continue and would set an expiration date.
Under the proposed bills, a two-thirds majority vote from the council would be needed to extend a health order.
"In government, it is very unusual to give one person unchecked power without legislative oversight," said a news release from Fitch's office. "Nearly all states and localities provide a system of checks and balances on the governor in such emergencies."
