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Committee sends HB 32 to the floor, a bill limiting government mask mandates; 13-2 roll call
Summary
The Idaho House State Affairs Committee voted 13–2 to send House Bill 32 to the House floor with a due-pass recommendation; the bill would bar government officials from requiring masks to prevent viral transmission while allowing vocational and medical exemptions.
The Idaho House State Affairs Committee voted to send House Bill 32 to the full House with a due-pass recommendation after a contentious public hearing that drew dozens of in-person and virtual witnesses.
Representative Rob Bieswanger, who presented the bill, told the committee that HB 32 “prohibits any government official from requiring people to wear a mask for the purpose of preventing virus transmission.” He said the bill does not prevent individuals from choosing to wear a mask and includes exemptions for people in roles where masks are an “integral and compulsory safety component of required job duties.”
The committee heard extended testimony from people on both sides. Kelly Packer, executive director of the Association of Idaho Cities, opposed the bill and said a statewide ban would remove local elected officials’ ability to respond to unknown public-health emergencies. “We stand here in opposition of House…
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