a process for counties to vote to leave the state of Minnesota and instead join one of Minnesota's bordering states. A petition was also started alongside the introduction of the proposal with the primary goal of counties outside the Twin Cities area joining South Dakota, but also encouraging joining Iowa or Wisconsin. The bill was introduced in response to Governor Tim Walz's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which Minnesota was shut down and restricted to a far stricter extent and for a longer duration of time than all its neighboring states. South Dakota, which remains the only state in the country to never issue any business restrictions at any time was viewed in a major contrast to Minnesota's restrictions. Shortly after the bill's introduction, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem tweeted in favor of the bill. Mississippi During the American Civil War of 1861–65, in Jones County, Mississippi, Newton Knight, a deserter from the Confederate army, organized a militia of fellow deserters and escaped slaves and declared Jones County to be the Free State of Jones. They successfully prevented Confederate authorities from enforcing conscription, taxation, and slavery within the county, and hoped for admission to the United States as a new state. Missouri McDonald County declared itself the McDonald Territory for a brief period of time in July 1961. The movement was half in jest, after a city within the county was accidentally omitted from an official Missouri map. Montana In 1939, a secessionist movement proposed the State of Absaroka, to be formed from portions of Montana, adjacent areas of Wyoming, and parts of South Dakota. Motivated by opposition to New Deal politics and a desire to bring tourism to the area, the craze was reflected in state automobile license plates bearing the name; a "Miss Absaroka" contest held in that year; and a minor league baseball team called the Absaroka Eagles. Nebraska In the 1890s, residents of the Nebraska Panhandle threatened secession when the state refused to enact water laws that would encourage irrigation. Nevada In 2020, residents of rural Nevada proposed breaking away from the state due to the strong liberal influence of Clark County on the politics of the state. The movement proposes the state of "New Nevada". Proponents also filed an amicus brief in Texas v. Pennsylvania. New Hampshire In 2001, the communities of Newington and Rye considered secession in response to the enactment of a