A bill that aimed to limit the governor’s emergency powers died in a late-night debate of the state legislature just hours before the bill cutoff deadline.

Critics had hoped to limit the use of gubernatorial powers, like the ones Gov. Jay Inslee has used since February 2020 to control the spread of COVID-19.

House minority leader Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, said Democrats pulled the bill off the floor.

House Speaker Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said representatives underestimated the amount of debate the bill would receive.

“It became clear … there was going to be a lot of debate,” she said. “A lot of speeches on the Republican side.”

Jinkins said she approached Wilcox and asked if his party would rather “pass the bill or give a lot of speeches.”

Wilcox said Republican members wanted to speak on the topic, resulting in the legislation being pulled.

“At that point, we were within 24 hours of cut off, and other bills were dying as a result of it,” she said. “So, we moved on.”

Wilcox said the bill’s 1 a.m. introduction on the floor was the first opportunity representatives had to formally debate the issue of gubernatorial emergency power.

Rep. Sharon Shewmake, D-Bellingham, said, “I wanted to run a reasonable bill. It’s been two years, and we should be reforming the emergency powers based on recent experience.

Rep. Drew Macewen, R-Union, said, “[Democrats] didn’t prioritize this bill. They didn’t prioritize true emergency power reform. They never have.”

More than two years ago, Inslee declared a statewide emergency in response to the spread of COVID. Additional proclamations including stay-at-home orders, school closures and mask mandates were implemented as the pandemic progressed.