Senator Kent Eken would like to Strip Governor’s Power to Suspend Evictions

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – Senator Kent Eken would like to remove the Governor’s power to not allow landlords to evict residents.

Governor Walz issued executive order 20-14 in March of 2020 that suspended evictions during the State’s Peacetime Emergency to battle COVID-19. More than a year later, the state is still in a Peacetime Emergency.

Eken says the problem is that there are instances where evictions should be necessary, “the problem is that there are situations where people aren’t paying rent that could pay rent and people who have violated other rental policies like using drugs.”

A bill submitted on Monday would only allow the Governor to issue an emergency order for 30 days, after that the Governor would have to receive approval from both the House and Senate to continue limit evictions through emergency order.