The state Senate officially extended Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency authority with a vote Tuesday afternoon.

Following the state House’s passage of a resolution giving Lamont emergency authority through Feb. 15, the state Senate passed the same measure Tuesday by a vote of 18-15, with three senators absent or not voting.

The debate in the Senate resembled Monday’s House debate, with Republicans arguing that the current state of the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t constitute a public health emergency, and Democrats saying the governor’s executive orders have helped to make Connecticut a top state in high vaccination rates and low infection rates at the moment. The resolution extends some of Lamont's executive orders, such as a mask mandate for schools.

Lamont's powers were set to expire Sept. 30. In July, the state legislature also held a special session to extend Lamont's emergency powers. He has had emergency declarations extended since March 2020 and has issued hundreds of executive orders in the past 18 months, the vast majority of which have since expired.

During a news conference Tuesday, Lamont said he didn’t think he would be seeking emergency powers after Feb. 15. He said the same the last time around.

“I didn’t think this one was going to be needed, then something called delta (variant of the virus) came along, which was highly contagious and was affecting an awful lot of people,” he said.

He said he doesn’t think there are absolute metrics that dictate when his emergency authority should run out, “but I think when you see the infection rate continuing to go down, I think when you see us through this flu season, when you see a higher proportion of our population, meaning young people, vaccinated, we’ll know we’re in good shape. I think that’s sooner rather than later.”

State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, who voted no on the resolution, said she philosophically disagrees with extending the governor’s emergency orders: “I think the legislature should be doing the work.” She voted against such a measure the last two times, too.

“Last time he said he was not going to ask for another extension, he said this time he wouldn’t ask for another extension. I will continue to vote against it as long as he asks for emergency order extensions,” she said. “We’re not in an emergency that would require action by the executive branch on an immediate basis.”

Osten said the party the governor belongs to is of no matter — “I don’t believe in giving the governor six extensions of emergency orders.”

State Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, who also voted against, argued that “We are in a much different situation than we were nearly two years ago.”

“When you talk to clinicians, they will clearly state we are not in a state of emergency. We are in a state of a virus that will continue to be with us,” she said during Tuesday’s debate. “These decisions have taken away the ability of local officials to have input on what is best for their town. ... The people in my district, I can tell you, they are frustrated, they are unhappy and they have had enough. They are tired of the inconsistent information on the virus, on the rules.”

State Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, echoed Somers. Both also called for the legislature to look at other issues, particularly related to housing, jobs, climate and crime.

“I think we should be debating other issues and other matters of urgency around this circle and here in the general assembly,” he said during Tuesday’s debate. “Matters such as landlord and tenant issues that are arising ... Matters of climate protection that include more than just one or two states taking part.”

State Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, voted in favor of the resolution. He said he doesn't think the governor has abused his authority "one iota."

"Legislatures by design are deliberative bodies, and when you're in an emergency or crisis, there isn't enough time to deliberate, especially in a public health crisis where things can change very quickly," he said. "Convening the legislature to make all the on-the-ground decisions just doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

s.spinella@theday.com