The Minnesota Senate voted today to end Governor Walz’s peacetime emergency powers relative to the COVID pandemic. If the House agrees, it would end the state’s longest peacetime emergency in history. Walz first put the state under emergency powers on March 13, 2020.

“It’s time to end the executive orders and let business and life open back up,” said Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka. “I supported the Governor back in March getting prepared just in case something happens. But the ‘just in case’ didn’t happen. We all know the value of social distancing and I have faith the people of Minnesota will continue acting safe, even without the government telling us to.”

“The Governor has repeatedly neglected to acknowledge the geographic diversity of our state by implementing a metro-focused, one-size-fits-all approach to battling COVID-19,” said Senator Mary Kiffmeyer (R- Big Lake). “The executive orders from the Governor over the last few months have been devastating to rural parts of the state who are more easily able to conform to the established health and safety guidelines. Governor Walz has demonstrated that he has no intention to collaborate and restore order. He has repeatedly made arbitrary decisions like keeping big box stores open while small box stores were closed. By ending his peacetime emergency powers, we will be able to create a more nuanced approach to reopen our state by taking recommendations from communities around the state into account.”

The vote to end peacetime emergency was 38-29, with three Democrats joining all 35 Republicans supporting the resolution.