The Hill reported that on May 15, the North Carolina State voted 30-15 along party lines to approve House Bill (HB) 237. But the proposal wasn't approved right away, as it followed a heated discussion regarding its prudence.
HB 237 banned face coverings in the Tar Heel State, and also eliminated an existing exception that allows residents to wear masks in public for health and safety reasons. The said provision has been in place since the early stages of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
With the May 15 vote, HB 237 now awaits the signature of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat. While he could veto the bill, the Republican Party holds a super majority in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly to potentially override a veto.
GOP supporters argued that HB 237 would aid law enforcement in cracking down on protesters who use and wear face masks. They asserted that demonstrators were exploiting pandemic-era measures to conceal their identities, especially after a surge of pro-Palestine protests across the nation and at North Carolina universities.
"It's about time that the craziness is at least slowed down, if not stopped," remarked GOP State Sen. Buck Newton, a sponsor of the bill. He also dismissed concerns brought up by his Democratic colleagues, expressing confidence in police officers' discretion in enforcing HB 237.
Newton also asserted that the public health exceptions were only enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that had he been in the state legislature in 2020, he would have opposed allowing people to mask up for public health reasons in the first place. Newton was elected in the North Carolina State Senate in 2022.
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In addition to the face mask ban, several other bills passed the Senate on May 15 – including measures addressing sex crime laws, toll road fees, free removal for billboards and the treatment of young offenders in the criminal justice system. Each of these bills will require approval from the North Carolina House of Representatives before reaching Cooper's desk.
Democrats in the North Carolina Senate oppose ban on face masks
But according to WRAL News, HB 237 faced opposition from advocates for individuals with health concerns, community activists and Democratic state lawmakers. The latter, in particular, voiced out worries for those with compromised immune systems or individuals undergoing medical treatments such as cancer therapy.
Democratic State Sen. Lisa Grafstein criticized the bill as "unconscionable," a sentiment shared by her fellow Democrat, State Sen. Sydney Batch.
"This bill criminalizes their behavior and mine. We often discuss freedoms in this chamber; I frequently hear it," said Batch, a cancer survivor. "I should have the freedom – my children and my husband should have the freedom – to wear masks to safeguard and prolong my life without the fear of facing arrest and charges."
Batch and Grafstein each suggested amendments to the bill that they argued would still empower police to address masked protesters, while reinstating legal protections for individuals wearing masks for health reasons. Meanwhile, State Sen. Jay Chaudhuri proposed an amendment to prohibit hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Proud Boys from wearing face masks in public.
Despite this, Republican state senators dismissed these amendments and assured that the bill won't be abused if it becomes law. A day before the vote, Newton said HB 237 wasn't intended to "prosecute granny for wearing a mask in Walmart."
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