Rule change would fine House members $1,000 for each day they don’t wear a mask inside the Capitol
Public health advocates say this bill sounds like a “fine” idea.
Context
71 members of Congress have tested positive for COVID-19, as of this writing. Louisiana Rep.-elect Luke Letlow died of the virus at age 41 in late December 2020, mere days before he was scheduled to take office and Rep. Ron Wright (R-TX6) died on February 7 of this year.
The results are clear: according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), masks work, though they advise that masks must be combined with social distancing for full efficacy. Yet some members of Congress have taken to not wearing a mask inside the U.S. Capitol Building.
What the resolution does
A new resolution would change the House’s internal rules to fine any member $1,000 for each day that they go maskless inside the Capitol Building.
The rule would remain in effect until the CDC officially says it is safe not to wear a mask around others. That period may arrive in late 2021, predicts National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci, M.D.
It was introduced in the House on January 12 as resolution H.Res. 42, by Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI12). It does not appear to have an official title.
What supporters say
Supporters argue the rule change is a necessary public safety measure, in a building where hundreds of people closely congregate — many at elevated risk of death due to age.
“It is not brave to refuse to wear a mask. It is selfish, stupid, and shameful behavior that puts lives at risk,” Rep. Dingell said in a press release. “A number of our Republican colleagues laughed off rules designed to keep not just their colleagues safe, but to protect the lives of the teams of workers keeping things going, law enforcement, and staff throughout the Capitol.”
“We’re done playing games. Either have some common sense and wear a damn mask or pay a fine,” Rep. Dingell continued. “It’s not that complicated.”
What opponents say
Opponents counter that masks are an infringement on personal freedom.
“We have two roads we can take. One is a return to the path of freedom; the other is totalitarianism… Nothing typifies this more fully than the mandates to wear masks,” Rep. Biggs wrote in a Washington Examiner op-ed. “That so many in our country are immediately acquiescent in the broad implementation of mandated masks reveals that we may have lost our way, perhaps irretrievably.”
Odds of passage
The bill has attracted 46 cosponsors, all Democrats. It awaits a potential vote in either the House Ethics or Rules Committee.
This would be a stiffer financial penalty than the recently-enacted one for going without a mask inside the Capitol: $500 for a first offense and $2,500 for a second offense.
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This article was written by GovTrack Insider staff writer Jesse Rifkin.
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