Pre-COVID ban on public mask-wearing to conceal identity heads to NC House
Legislation on mask-wearing in North Carolina dominated the conversation this week at the General Assembly, the Senate took up HB237 on Wednesday.
HB237 would reinstate a pre-COVID ban on mask-wearing when in public to conceal your identity.
Shortly after the pandemic began, the General Assembly provided an exception to this ban, given wide-spread mask usage. As seen at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, recently, protesters have been abusing this exception to conceal their identity while committing crimes. The votes represented party lines.
According to legislatures including local State Senator Steve Jarvis:
“Given this, the exemption no longer made sense. If this legislation becomes law, the pre-pandemic status quo would be back in effect. Prior to 2020, this status quo was never questioned. In fact, the ban traces its roots back to laws meant to target the KKK and similar terrorist organizations.”
In his weekly newsletter Jarvis wrote: “Criminals who use a mask to conceal their identity are the target of HB237. There has been no example provided of a North Carolinian wearing a mask for health reasons being cited. Only those people who are abusing the comforts of a mask for their illicit acts should be worried about this legislation. Additionally, most people are now comfortable with those wearing surgical masks when they are sick.”
While the mask provisions are receiving the most attention, the legislation includes a number of other important measures. HB237 prohibits both state and local governments from making a distinction between religious organizations and other entities during a state of emergency. Further, this bill increases civil and criminal penalties for protesters who obstruct roadways when emergency vehicles are present.
After a lively debate on the Senate floor, HB237 passed on a party-line vote of 30-15. The bill now heads over to the House of Representatives for concurrence.
