ND Senate passes anti-mask bill

MINOT, N.D. – House Bill 1323, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Hoverson, R-Minot, had passed the House 50-44. It goes back for House action on the amendment, added on the Senate floor, to give employers, local governments and schools the ability to require mask use in thier jurisdictions.

Legislators were heavily lobbied on both sides of the bill.

Sen. Howard Anderson, R-Turtle Lake, who presented the committee’s 6-1 recommendation to kill the bill, listed diseases with much higher death rates than COVID-19 and questioned whether the state wants the mask option off the table in any future epidemic.

He said the governor issued a mask mandate last fall after COVID-19 patients filled up the state’s hospitals and most medical professionals were asking for help.

“The executive branch needs to make decisions about the public’s good,” he said. “Decisions were made. Sometimes they might be wrong but, Mr. President, somebody has to govern.”

Senate President and Lt. Gov. Brent Sanford banged his gavel a few times to halt interruptions created by chamber gallery applause following arguments made by senators on either side of the issue.

Republican Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, a Williston dentist, said he wears a mask to protect others.

“Nobody can tell me that masks don’t help,” he said. “Sometimes in our society, we forget that we should care for others.”

Sen. Terry Wanzek, R-Jamestown, said the debate isn’t about whether masks work but whether common good should infringe on individual freedom. He suggested infringing on individual freedom isn’t necessary for people to do the right thing.

“I believe good people, when they are educated and informed, will make good decisions,” he said.

“Liberty always trumps safety, at least for North Dakota and its history,” said Sen. Janne Myrdal, R-Edinburg, a supporter of HB 1323. “I don’t think anybody that is against the mask mandate wants anyone to get sick or die. I think it’s just the reality of we don’t want to be bound by political powers to deal with medical issues in our lives.”

Sen. Jessica Bell, R-Beulah, offered the amendment to limit the prohibition to statewide officials and state health officer, calling the move a compromise to “help strike a balance between freedom and safety.”

The amendment passed 37-10 on a verification vote, in which the electronic voting board remains dark and individual votes are secret.

Sens. David Hogue and bill co-sponsor Oley Larsen, both R-Minot, voted for bill passage. Sens. Karen Krebsbach and Randy Burckhard, both R-Minot, voted against.

In the previous House vote, all Minot legislators supported HB 1323.

ND Senate passes anti-mask bill

Follow us on Google News

Follow us on Flipboard

Trending Slider

Early bird registration open for 2026 North Dakota Transportation Conference

Gov. Armstrong launches legacy soil health and habitat program in North Dakota

North Dakota Highway Patrol warns of slick roads after snow and strong winds

Bismarck Citizen Academy cadets tour event center, explore behind-the-scenes operations

25-year-old man arrested, charged with murder following stabbing on Porter Avenue

19-year-old Iured a woman she considered a friend to a Iocation under the pretense of buying an animaI, where she and two men kiIIed her because they wanted to retaIiate for a kiIIing in another county invoIving the victim’s famiIy member: police

Follow us on News Break

Categories

ND Senate passes anti-mask bill

Related posts

Burgum signs $680 million bonding bill

Bismarck mayor weighs in on refugee resettlement ahead of possible vote

Mask Mandate Expiration Is Burgum Protecting Emergency Powers

Lawmakers Finally Get Around to Writing a Law They Claimed Already Existed

Hoeven responds to bill that would defund next-gen missile system

North Dakota Airports Receive $6.4 Million in COVID Relief

Follow us on Google News

Follow us on Flipboard

Early bird registration open for 2026 North Dakota Transportation Conference

Gov. Armstrong launches legacy soil health and habitat program in North Dakota

North Dakota Highway Patrol warns of slick roads after snow and strong winds

Bismarck Citizen Academy cadets tour event center, explore behind-the-scenes operations

25-year-old man arrested, charged with murder following stabbing on Porter Avenue

19-year-old Iured a woman she considered a friend to a Iocation under the pretense of buying an animaI, where she and two men kiIIed her because they wanted to retaIiate for a kiIIing in another county invoIving the victim’s famiIy member: police