Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) says he does not want to include “additional, controversial topics” in a proposed special session. Walz finally made the move to have a special session, something that Republican lawmakers have been asking him to do for months.
In the letter to Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona), Walz wrote, “A special session should be focused on areas where we can find agreement, while areas of disagreement can be addressed in the regular session.” The governor is suggesting calling a special session on November 29, if Miller agrees to his terms, which confine the actions of the session to a drought relief bill, a frontline worker pay bill, and a COVID relief bill. Walz is also requiring that the session last no more than three days.
Dr. Neil Shah, a Republican candidate for governor, said that Republicans need to “stand together” and “hold Walz accountable” by not agreeing to a special session until a bill to prohibit vaccine mandates is included. Shah said, “This is a valuable opportunity for Republicans to fight Walz and stop this vaccine mandate once and for all.” He went on to call Walz “an enemy of democracy.”
A similar sentiment regarding Walz’s special session proposal was shared by State Representatives Erik Mortensen (R-Shakopee) and Jeremy Munson (R-Lake Crystal).
Mortensen shared his thoughts in a Facebook post, saying, “I call on Senator Jeremy Miller to reject these terms and demand the Special Session includes the stopping of vaccine mandates.”
Munson criticized Republicans for “capitulating” to Governor Walz, saying that they have ignored issues “infringing on the liberty of citizens of our State.” He shamed the legislators for some of their decisions, saying, “They’ve also agreed to not vote on firing Commissioner Jan Malcolm or altering the Governor’s emergency powers. They continue to believe the governor should retain the ability to unilaterally write law, fine and jail people, ignoring the Constitutional requirement for separation of powers.”
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Hayley Feland is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Walz” by Linda Jorgensen Kangas.
