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House State Affairs advances bill to bar government mask mandates; committee sends House Bill 32 to House floor 13-2
Summary
The Idaho House State Affairs Committee voted 13-2 to send House Bill 32 to the full House with a due-pass recommendation; the bill would bar government officials from requiring masks to prevent viral transmission while exempting some vocational safety uses.
The Idaho House State Affairs Committee voted 13-2 to send House Bill 32 to the full House with a due-pass recommendation after a two-hour hearing that included legislative questions and nearly two dozen members of the public.
"House Bill 32 prohibits any government official from requiring people to wear a mask for the purpose of preventing virus transmission," said Representative Rob Bieswanger, R.-District 8, who sponsored the bill. "This bill does not cost the taxpayers a single penny. Second, it expands the amount of freedom all the Idahoans get." Bieswanger said the bill includes exemptions for people who must wear masks as an integral, compulsory safety component of their job.
Supporters mainly framed the bill as protecting individual liberty and preventing what they described as excessive fines or criminal penalties imposed under local mask orders during 2020–21. Fred Birnbaum of the Idaho Freedom Foundation said the…
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