Governor Walz will keep his emergency COVID powers after the Democrat-led state House voted Monday (69-64) to support a 30-day extension. State House Speaker Melissa Hortman says the powers remain essential amid the pandemic and “the covid 19 emergency has not ended and our country has experienced needless death and suffering due to the president’s failed leadership.” Republican Representative Anne Neu of North Branch acknowledged the seriousness of COVID-19 but said no executive orders have been issued on the pandemic for months and added “this is like groundhog’s day. We’ve been here every month doing this since March, and yet very little has changed, almost nothing has changed.” Earlier in the day, the Republican-led Senate voted 36-31 against extending the governor’s emergency powers. Democratic Senator Jeff Hayden of Minneapolis voted “no” and said, “unfortunately, I believe that my friends across the aisle have been lacking the leadership needed to beat the virus and to keep people safe.” But Republican Senator Scott Jensen, who revealed on the Senate floor that he had tested positive for COVID-19 and voted “yes” said the vote is not a condemnation of the governer’s efforts to deal with coronavirus and added, “I see this as an affirmation that we know he can invite the legislature with judicial oversight to the table and we can do this better.”