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State capitols face showdown over COVID powers and spending

(AP) — State legislatures across the country will be convening in 2021 with a common theme at the center of their work. The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to shape both their budget and policy debates. The executive director of the National Conference of State Legislatures says he expects lawmakers in over half the states to push back against the executive powers of governors and health officials who have imposed restrictions during the pandemic.

One of the hottest topics in the GOP-led Arkansas Legislature will be whether to support the state’s disaster declaration, which has been used by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson to impose a mask mandate, capacity limits, and other restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the virus.

In Missouri, Republican lawmakers who hold large majorities in both chambers already have filed about a dozen bills that would limit the authority of state or local officials to impose restrictions.

One bill by state Sen. Bob Onder, a respiratory physician, would bar local health orders from lasting more than 30 days and require a two-thirds vote of the local governing body for rules extending beyond one week. His bill also would prohibit restrictions on religious activities that are greater than what others are facing.

Onder said he provided testimony for court cases challenging restrictions on churches and synagogues in California, New Jersey, and New York. He also has opposed a local order by the St. Louis County executive prohibiting indoor dining at restaurants.

Onder said there is little evidence that the virus spreads easier in worship services and restaurants than other places where people gather.

“I think it is time that we reign in some of these public health orders, and public health so-called authorities, and at very least put them under political control of the local governing body,” he said.

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