Sen. Jagler Introduces Bill to Regulate Local Health Orders

Madison...Today, Senator John Jagler (R-Watertown) introduced legislation to bring the local health order process in line with state regulations. Currently, state emergency orders from the executive branch are limited to 60 days, unless the legislature votes to end the order early or extend it. This bill would apply the same standard to local health officers as they attempt to address public health emergencies. The governing body (county board, city council, etc) could either let the order expire, vote to end it early or vote to extend the order.

“Our public health laws are designed to balance the need to act decisively in an emergency while also protecting the individual rights of the public.” Jagler continued, “The executive needs to be able to act quickly but their orders need the buy-in of the public. Consensus and public input should rule how we deal with emergencies in the long-term not unelected bureaucrats.”
If the county board or other local governing body votes to extend the order, a reasonable deadline would need to be included to ensure that states of emergency don’t continue forever.

“The pandemic has taught us a lot about our health emergency laws and how they play out in the real world,” said Jagler. “If the last two years have taught us anything it’s that we need to update these laws to ensure they balance the need to address an emergency and protect the rights of the public.”

The legislation was introduced this week and will soon have a bill number and be referred to the appropriate committee. Sen. Jagler is working with his colleagues to ensure quick action on the bill before the end of session.