On Monday, the Minnesota Senate voted on a bipartisan resolution to end Governor Tim Walz’s peacetime emergency powers relative to the COVID-19 pandemic. The vote aims to end the state’s longest peacetime emergency in history, which began when Gov. Walz first put the state under emergency powers back on March 13, 2020.

“Over the past four months, we’ve learned a tremendous amount about COVID-19 and have taken countless precautions to protect our state and our residents,” said Senator Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake).  “Minnesotans have been diligent in following the guidelines to protect each other from significant threats of this virus, a positive fact we’ve seen in the data. As we’ve had months to observe this virus, we’ve learned that Governor Walz’s one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate for all of Minnesota and that cases and damage have varied greatly depending on where you go. Unfortunately, though, the Governor and his administration have not accounted for this, much to the expense of our communities and many others in Greater Minnesota. Rather than to continue to allow for the unilateral behavior today, we voted to end the Governor’s emergency powers. While we respect the threat that this virus continues to represent, this choice forces the Governor and the legislature to work together to develop and implement solutions that best serve all communities across this state in tackling the virus and putting us on a path for success for the future.”

The vote to end the peacetime emergency was passed 36-31 with bipartisan support. The resolution now heads to the House, where it requires majority support before it can be adopted.