On Friday, the Minnesota Senate voted for a fourth time 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.

“Today, we once again voted to end the Governor Walz’s peacetime emergency,” said Senator Jeff Howe (R-Rockville).  “As we work to manage this virus, it is time to restore the balance between the executive and legislative branches and give Minnesotans their voices back in government. Governor Walz continues to neglect the regional consequences of his choices while also failing to provide any criteria for when the powers will end. Coupled with the decreasing death count, we decided again to end those powers to push for a collaborative response to manage this virus together.”

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