Last year, Governor Beverly Perdue ordered the resumption of some Unemployment Insurance payments after seven weeks of stalemate with North Carolina legislators. Rather than prosecute her for acting in a way they believe was illegal, however, state legislators are seeking to both scold her and retroactively legalize it.
From Rep Julia Howard, quoted in the News & Observer:
“[Perdue] just didn’t have the authority, but she did it. And so now we will try to say, OK, you did it, and we’re going to say it was OK, but don’t do it again. You don’t have the authority under executive orders to do that.”
This odd battle over authority has an uncanny resemblance to a scene from The Office. Nellie Bertram (as Perdue) has gone ahead and taken the role of office manager from Andy Bernard (the legislature). Rather than object and risk confirmation of her authority, though, Bernard seeks to legitimize Bertram’s actions as they happen. Enjoy.
