Hello from St. Paul,
I was disappointed that the Minnesota House failed to end Governor Walz' emergency powers this week, after all members of the House DFL majority voted in opposition. This means Minnesota remains in the longest peacetime emergency in state history.
It is one thing to allow a governor to make unilateral decisions during a time of emergency when the legislature is not in session. But now that state lawmakers are back to work, the public should have a say as to how Minnesota should move forward during this continued pandemic. The legislature is a co-equal branch of government, and within state government, it is the voice that is closest to the people.
The reason emergency powers exist is for a crisis that the legislature would be too slow to address. That certainly was the situation early in the pandemic, but that is not the case now. The governor recognizes this as well, as he is now using his emergency powers as a political tool in hopes of pressuring the legislature into approving his preferred policy proposals in exchange for giving up his usage of these powers.
This pandemic is a serious issue, but the public should have a say in any further restrictions on their day to day lives, not just one man.
Talk to you soon,
Nolan