Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C,I-Schoharie) has joined members of the Assembly Minority Conference in drafting a letter to Gov. Hochul to request she drop her appeal of the decision by Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Thomas Rademaker which deemed New York state’s mask mandate to be unconstitutional.

In the letter, Tague and his colleagues argue that given the governor no longer wields emergency powers granted by the state Legislature, she does not have the authority to unilaterally issue such a sweeping policy.

“The only entity with the power to implement a mandate as impactful on the lives of everyday New Yorkers as the current mask mandate is the New York State Legislature,” said Tague. “Gov. Hochul has not been granted emergency powers by the Legislature, and by issuing this mandate without its consent, she has grossly overstepped her constitutional authority. If Gov. Hochul is truly an advocate for good government who respects the constitutional role of the Legislature, she would give up on trying to preserve this unlawful mandate.”