State lawmakers in both houses have finally reached an agreement to repeal Governor Andrew Cuomo’s emergency powers granted to him at the height of the pandemic last year.

Coronavirus cases were mounting quickly across the state, hospitals were filling up, and decisions needed to be made immediately. But now, the state’s infection rate has crept back down, and the governor is facing a backlash for the controversy surrounding nursing home resident deaths, as well as sexual harassment allegations by three women in less than a week.

Although the legislature will be moving forward with limiting the governor’s emergency powers, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say Cuomo still needs to resign.

“This governor has become a distraction at this point, and we have a lot of important work to do,” Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbra said. “This budget is perhaps one of the most important budgets we’re ever going to work on because it involves federal dollars, COVID relief for our communities, things that we need to restart the economy. So when you say revoking his powers, sure, that is something we can do, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.”

This legislation to limit the governor’s emergency powers would keep Cuomo from issuing any new statewide directives, with the intention of allowing local governments to take back some control.

However, the governor would still be allowed to renew and modify any of his current directives, including indoor dining capacity and the state’s mask mandate.

With these emergency powers now set to be rolled back, Democratic Assemblywoman Monica Wallace says that lawmakers should keep their attention to the work at hand while the attorney general’s office handles the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo.

“It takes it off our plate and puts it on the plate of the attorney general,” Wallace said. “Because it is March, and our primary responsibility and the governor’s primary responsibility is to focus on making sure we pass an on-time, balanced budget that addresses the needs of the people in this state who are really hurting right now during this pandemic.”

Lawmakers are starting budget negotiations during a challenging year. Legislators must close a potential $15 billion budget deficit and battle a pandemic, while also ramping up COVID vaccine distribution.

Yet with all the controversies swirling in Albany, Republican Assemblyman Mike Lawler says that at this point, it is hard for lawmakers to move forward with the governor still in control.

“There’s a lot of work to do and we need people who are able to do the job and focus on that,” Lawler said. “Obviously, the governor at this point is distracted and dealing with one crisis after the next, and is unable to do the job at hand.”

According to sources in the Assembly, a vote on limiting the governor’s emergency powers could come as soon Friday. If Cuomo decides to veto this bill, both the Assembly and Senate have supermajorities, which means they could override his veto.