ST. PAUL – Minnesota House Republicans on Tuesday once again sought to end the executive powers Gov. Tim Walz first enacted in mid-March. For a fifth time, House Democrats blocked such an effort.
State Rep. Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said that, while urgent action may have been warranted four months ago in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the time has long passed to restore balance at the Capitol by involving the Legislature in decisions related to the situation.
“This issue is about so much more than COVID-19,” Demuth said. “The question is whether Minnesotans want one person – the governor – making unilateral decisions that have significant impacts citizens for several months on end, or should all 201 legislators be participating in the process? Minnesota was founded on a representative system of government, yet we now are entering a fifth month under one person’s rule. It is past time to restore the balance of power at the Capitol. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen anytime soon because House Democrats are OK letting the governor call all the shots, and are unwilling or unable to make the hard decisions Minnesotans sent us to the Capitol to make. It is time for the House to start doing the job of representing our constituents.”
While the Senate approved a similar measure on Monday, the first day of the current special session, Tuesday’s House move fell mainly on party lines.
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