(St. Paul, MN) – The Minnesota Senate produced a bipartisan vote to end Governor Walz’s peacetime emergency powers relative to the COVID pandemic on Friday. If the House of Representatives agrees, it would end the state’s longest peacetime emergency in history. Walz first put the state under emergency powers on March 13, 2020.

“We’ve learned a tremendous amount about this virus and will continue to learn,” said Senator Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake). “Everyone was on board with following guidelines to protect each other from the unknown. As we’ve continued to learn, the one-size-fits-all approach isn’t fitting every area. Most Minnesotans will take information they’ve gleaned through this crisis and continue making the next right decision.  They have the right to think for themselves. It’s time for Governor Walz to give up his unilateral control.”

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