Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley is seeking a meeting of the Legislative Coordinating Council so it can reverse its decision revoking an executive order limiting the size of religious gatherings.
“I believe it is in the best interest of all Kansans that the LCC reconsider its action so that we, as legislative leaders, can keep them safe from the most serious public health crisis in our lifetime,” Hensley said in a statement issued late Thursday.
“Taking this action will remove the need for litigation and allow Gov. Kelly to lead our state without unnecessary distractions,” Hensley said in his statement.
Hensley asked for the meeting for Friday.
Gov. Laura Kelly is suing the LCC over its decision on Wednesday overturning her executive order that limited the size of church activities to 10 or fewer people.
She also is seeking to nullify part of the resolution passed unanimously by the Legislature that gives the LCC the ability to review the governor’s executive orders and revoke them.
The governor said the LCC’s action put the health of Kansans at risk by allowing large gatherings in churches that could foster the spread of the virus, which has already claimed 42 lives in Kansas.
The governor filed the lawsuit directly with the Kansas Supreme Court. She hopes to get a decision before Easter Sunday, one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar.
House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. said that since Hensley was not on the prevailing side of the vote in the LCC’s decision, a motion from him to reconsider would not be in order.
Ryckman told Hensley the fastest way to resolve the ongoing legal crisis is for the governor to reconsider her executive order and remove the misdemeanor criminal penalties.
“This would protect Kansans, be constitutional and end the politicization of this important issue.”
Ryckman and House leadership say they would accept the governor’s executive order if it did not include penalties such as 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.
