Mask, campaign finance bill could reach NC governor’s desk this week

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – A revised bill drafted by Republicans that changes state law on wearing masks and implements new campaign finance provisions could reach Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk this week.

While the bill no longer repeals the health and safety exception to the state’s mask law that has allowed people to wear masks since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, it still concerns Cat Williams.

Williams received a double lung transplant in 2020 after living with cystic fibrosis. She continues to wear a mask everywhere she goes because she’s immunocompromised.

“I think they’ve just made it more of a mess than it was to begin with,” she said.

Republicans in the legislature unveiled their revised legislation last Thursday. The bill now says that people can wear a “medical or surgical grade mask for the purpose of preventing the spread of contagious disease.”

Williams said, “People have allergies. There’s wildfire smoke. There’s a lot of reasons to wear masks besides just preventing the spread of contagious disease.”

It also includes a provision that allows law enforcement or any owner or occupant of public or private property to request someone remove their mask temporarily for the purposes of identifying them.

With how quickly some viruses spread, Williams says she thinks that defeats the purpose of her wearing her mask.

“Anyone, not even just a police officer, but just any Tom, Dick or Harry can say I want to identify you, take off your mask. And, you’re supposed to take off your mask,” she said. “I’m going to the grocery store and the pharmacy and my doctor’s office. Who needs to identify me? I mean, we have drivers’ licenses. We have lots of ways to identify ourselves.”

Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said he thinks the bill reflects a compromise that still allows people to wear masks for health reasons while addressing situations where people wear masks while committing other crimes, including at some recent protests on college campuses.

“I believe the language that we came up with handles that. I also think it addresses the more egregious situations that were out there, where you had people wearing ski masks,” he said. “If they have (a mask) and are wearing it for the purpose of protecting themselves from some sort of disease or other medical reason, then that’s not a violation of the law.”

The bill also includes stiffer penalties for wearing a mask while committing another crime as well as for blocking streets. Protest organizers can be held liable as well if a demonstration prevents emergency vehicles from getting to people in need and that results in serious injury or death.

Senate Democrats walked off the floor last week and refused to participate in a vote on the bill after discovering Republicans had included a new provision related to campaign finance that could allow more “dark money” to come into state elections through political committees sending money to the state parties.

Sen. Berger said the measure is meant to “level the playing field” following a North Carolina State Board of Elections opinion in 2020 that he said advantaged the Democratic Governors Association.

Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake) called it “political laundering” and said he was confident Gov. Cooper would veto it.

CBS 17 reached out to the governor’s office about the bill, and released the following statement:

“Governor Cooper opposes Republicans changing campaign donation rules behind closed doors just months before an election to let out-of-state billionaires rescue their extreme right wing statewide candidates. This goes against the guidance of the State Board of Elections and political donations should be more transparent, not less.”

The House could vote on the bill as soon as Tuesday afternoon. The chamber’s Rules committee is scheduled to hear it Tuesday morning.

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