For the fifth time, Senator Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont) and the Minnesota Senate voted to end Governor Tim Walz’s peacetime emergency powers relative to the COVID pandemic. The state is currently in the midst of its longest peacetime emergency in history. Gov. Walz first put the state under emergency powers on March 13, 2020.

“The virus has had a much different impact on Minneapolis and St. Paul than it has on rural communities — we have seen that over and over,” said Sen. Rosen. “Unfortunately, after all these months the governor continues to treat the entire state the same. He is not listening to the concerns and the feedback from those of us on the ground in rural Minnesota. It’s time for the governor to give up his powers and work with the legislature, so that we can address the unique needs of our individual communities and speed up the recovery process.”

The vote to end the governor’s peacetime emergency powers was 36-31, with one Democrat joining all 35 Republicans supporting the resolution.