Utah Senate passes bill restricting school mask mandates, returns orders to SB 195 oversight

The Utah State Senate passed House Bill 1,007 during a special session, limiting the ability of K–12 school boards and state higher‑education governing bodies to impose mask mandates without following the oversight framework set out in SB 195.

Senator Vickers, sponsor of HB 1,007, told colleagues the bill "takes that exception away and put[s] everything back in line with SB 195," arguing the statute establishes a bipartisan oversight process for health orders. He said the bill does not ban individuals from wearing face coverings: "We certainly believe in individual choice and parental choice in this state, and that would certainly be the case."

The bill responds to what the sponsor described as an exception that had allowed a school, district or education board to implement mask orders "but there's no oversight" under the prior language. Under…