By urging the passage of a bill to outlaw government mask mandates, a new lawmaker pulled a classic move from the legislative playbook on Tuesday.
Rookie Representative Robert Beiswenger, R-Horseshoe Bend, co-sponsored a bill that would forbid the state, cities, counties, public health districts, school districts, and state officers from requiring the use of masks, face shields, or coverings in order to stop the spread of infectious diseases, despite the fact that the state of Idaho has never had a mask mandate and local governments haven’t issued one or recommended masking in years.
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“We’re trying to put some guardrails back in place because we learned from the COVID that there was a lot of government overreach and overreaction,” he said. Simply put, this measure would forbid any government official from enforcing a mask mandate in order to stop the spread of viruses, infectious diseases, and other similar conditions.
Hospitals, healthcare professionals, and occupational training programs where protective facemasks are required, like welding, are exempt from the measure.
Beiswenger stated, “I would note that this bill does exempt health care workers.” Therefore, you can still be forced to wear a mask mandate if you’re a dentist or surgeon and you don’t want your saliva to get on your patient.
Beiswenger co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, and it is almost exactly the same as House Bill 493, which failed last year.
The bill from last year was passed by the Idaho House of Representatives with a vote of 46–24, but the Idaho Senate never considered it.The unsuccessful effort last year wasn’t the only attempt by Republican politicians to thwart mask mandates. While serving as acting governor while Governor Brad Little was out of state in 2021, former Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin signed an executive order prohibiting the state, school districts, and municipal governments from issuing mask mandates. Little swiftly revoked McGeachin’s executive order after his return to the state.
Tuesday’s introduction of the revised bill paves the route for its eventual return to the House State Affairs Committee for a comprehensive public hearing. After being read across the desk on the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives, which is expected to happen later Tuesday or Wednesday, Beiswenger and Lenney’s bill will be given a bill number and made available to the public on the Idaho Legislature’s website.
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