BOISE — Legislation approved by lawmakers in the House prohibiting mask mandates by government entities in Idaho won't get a hearing in the Senate, the powerful chairman of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee said today.
Republican Sen. Fred Martin said that the committee is no longer meeting at this late date in the legislative session. He also said he has no plans to call it back to review and debate the mask-mandate ban bill or any other bill.
“We shut down the committee several weeks ago, so we are not hearing any additional bills,” Martin said.
He declined to unilaterally say that the bill is dead, but bills that don't get committee hearings won't advance and are considered dead. Committee chairman have significant power over what bills they choose to hold hearings on or let die with no hearing.
Supporters of the bill said requiring masks violates personal rights. Contradicting public health experts, Republican Rep. Karey Hanks said during debate in the House side that she has information that found masks are ineffective in preventing disease.
She also said that some victims of sexual violence find wearing masks to be traumatic if they had their faces covered while being assaulted.
The bill’s opponents said mask mandates are a local issue that should be decided by locally elected officials and that the masks effectively prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Republican Gov. Brad Little never imposed a statewide mask mandate. But some counties and about a dozen cities, including Lewiston and Moscow, have during the coronavirus pandemic.
