For the third time, Senator Julie Rosen (R-Vernon Center) and the Minnesota Senate voted on Wednesday 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 impact the virus has had on Greater Minnesota is completely different than the metro,” said Sen. Rosen. “Unfortunately, the governor continues to treat the entire state the same, without listening to the concerns and the feedback from those of us 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 districts 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.