In recent weeks, a bi-partisan group of NY legislators have been hammering the beleaguered Governor Andrew Cuomo’s failure to truthfully report the number of NY nursing home COVID-related deaths. On February 17, 2021, to assert legislative oversight over New York’s pandemic response, a proposed bill No. S04888 was introduced in the NY State Senate which seeks to revoke the extension of emergency powers granted to Cuomo related to the outbreak of COVID-19 early last year.
In general, the proposal reverses the temporary amendments to Executive Law 29-a passed previously by the state legislature at the start of the pandemic, removing Governor Cuomo’s authority to “issue any directive during a [declared] state disaster emergency” which may be necessary “to assist or aid in coping with such disaster.” We will continue to monitor this recent development and how it affects the various COVID-19 executive orders, including quarantine rules, business capacity frameworks, and other employment-related pronouncements.