ROCKVILLE -- Republican lawmakers are starting to speak-up over Governor Tim Walz's extension of the Stay At Home order.

Senator Jeff Howe of Rockville says they are frustrated because the Governor has been making all of the decisions with no input from the legislature.

We have requested the information, the facts, and the assumptions, and the data that he used to make these decisions, and on the models that he used to make this decision.  Although he says he's going to give it to us, he's never provided that information to us.

Howe says Walz could have avoided a lot of the criticism if he had just been up-front about the process.

Howe also says the latest modeling numbers that Walz has shared don't add up.

When we look at the data that we see and the number of beds that's requested, the number of proposed deaths that they think is going to happen, when you compare that to the New York data, it doesn't hold water it just doesn't make sense.

Howe also says the 50 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in Minnesota so far, still pales in comparison to seasonal influenza.

It's 147, almost three times what we've had from this virus, and yet we don't do anything for influenza A.

Howe also wants to know why there have been drastic variations in the modeling projections over the past several weeks.

The governor responds:

"I'm listening to the hospitals. If the Hospital Association told me today, 'Governor, we got it. Send everybody back to work. We got plenty of P-P-E, we got plenty of doctors, we got plenty of beds, we got plenty of ventilators,' we'd be do(ing) it now. But not a single one of them is saying that."

Howe says, although the Governor is within his rights to make executive orders, he believes the legislature is a vital part of the constitutional process.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Central Minnesota Joins Nation to Light It Blue to Support Essential Workers

More From AM 1240 WJON