The Governor called the Senate back to the Capitol today for a second special session. In response, Senate Republicans presented a resolution intended to eliminate the Governor’s peacetime emergency powers initially enacted to prepare the state for the COVID-19 pandemic. If the House agrees, it would put an end to the state’s longest peacetime emergency in history. Walz first put the state under emergency powers on March 13, 2020.

“We are voting today to end Governor Walz’s emergency powers and effectively restore the voices of Minnesotans who are ready to begin recovering from the impacts of COVID-19,” said Senator Mark Koran (R-North Branch). “Peacetime emergency powers are intended to be used through an emergency, not as an excuse to continue unilaterally leading the state without input from the legislature. Minnesotans deserve equal representation, not just the Governor’s one-sided approach.”

The vote to end the peacetime emergency was 36-31, with one Democrat joining Republicans in support of the resolution.