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A renewed push by Senate Republicans to curtail the governor’s ability to respond to a pandemic quickly is a proposal in search of a problem, is not supported by taxpayers and has a negative risk-reward ratio.

The push comes as we’re once again reminded of the deadly and voracious nature of the coronavirus. A new more contagious variant has emerged in South Africa. As researchers learn more about the so-called omicron variant, it highlights the need for public health agencies to move quickly.

Those agencies would be hamstrung and delayed by the GOP proposal. Senate Republicans have resurrected their proposal that both bodies of the Legislature would have to approve a continuation of a state of emergency longer than 30 days. Current law requires both House and Senate vote to end a state of emergency. And the governor would still be free to call them without legislative approval.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller of Winona argues that the Legislature needs more input on emergency power policies, such as mask mandates and vaccine mandates. And we would argue they could do that right now if they controlled both houses of the Legislature. But changing the law to give them more voting power doesn’t seem wise.

The state’s system of emergency powers already provides a check against the governor’s power. The state’s Executive Council, made up of the attorney general, the state auditor, secretary of state, the governor and lieutenant governor, by law are charged with approving executive orders.

All the members are Democrats, and if Republicans want a check against the governor’s power, they should get elected to those positions.

Miller also says he’s willing to make the change in the law after Gov. Tim Walz leaves office.

For her part, DFL House Majority Leader Melissa Hortman mostly agrees Walz has been reasonable in his exercise of emergency powers, and that unless the Legislature becomes a full-time Legislature, it will not be able to respond as quickly as Walz has been able to respond.

A legislative body is just not designed to move quickly, and even seemingly sensible policies can be upended by bad actors and rogue players in the minority, like the fringe group, the New Republican Caucus, that proffers a lot of strange ideas like parts of the state joining South Dakota.

There’s no reason to change a law that’s working well. Millions of Minnesotans agree Walz has done an admirable and competent job with emergency powers. Minnesota had much better rates of survival, case transmission and hospital management than many other surrounding states.

COVID has gotten a stronger foothold now, after Walz ended his emergency powers through the year-end budget deal. And we don’t see the Republican Senate rushing forth with solutions to the current outbreak. It is Walz who has answered with calling in reinforcements of the National Guard to help hospitals and nursing homes with staffing.

Putting our response to the pandemic in idle, as would occur with the Legislature in control, would create great public health risk without any foreseeable reward. Our reward would be some people would have more freedom to reject the vaccine, get sick and die.

That’s not a policy. That’s a disaster.

— Mankato Free Press, Nov. 28