Lexi Lonas
The HillWed, 04 Aug 2021 09:59 UTC
© REUTERS/Gary CameronArkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson at the National Press Club in Washington DC
Arkansas Gov.
Asa Hutchinson (R) says he regrets signing a ban on mask mandates in schools as he asks the state legislature to reverse the decision.
"Well, I signed it at the time because our cases were at a very low point. I knew it'd be overridden by the legislature if I didn't sign it ... I already eliminated our statewide mask mandate," Hutchinson said in a
press conference on Tuesday.
"I signed it for those reasons that our cases were at a low point. Everything has changed now. And yes,
in hindsight I wish that had not become law," he added.
The governor last week began calling for the state legislature to overturn the part of the law that says schools can't decide if they want a mask mandate.
He says he still supports a statewide ban on a mask mandate because adults have the option of becoming vaccinated but children do not.
"Local school districts are all different across the state and they have different opinions on this and they reflect different wishes of parents and their constituents," Hutchinson said.
"Local school districts should make the call and they should have more options to make sure that their school is a safe environment during a very challenging time for education."
The governor is calling the Republican-led state legislature back into session to address the issue, although lawmakers have said it will be difficult to lift the ban."My issue is it's real close that we would even have the majority right now," state Senate President Jimmy Hickey (R) said.
Both chambers in the legislature would need a two-thirds vote to lift the ban before school starts, while a simple majority means the ban wouldn't be lifted for 90 days.Hutchinson's call comes as the state is flooded with coronavirus cases and
is dealing with low vaccination rates.
Comment: Just The News
reports that Biden is turning up the pressure by reprimanding the Republican governors:
President Joe Biden on Tuesday reprimanded GOP governors for banning mask mandates, as he told them to let "businesses and universities who want to do the right thing to be able to do it."
"We need leadership from everyone and if some governors aren't willing to do the right thing to beat this pandemic, then they should allow businesses and universities who want to do the right thing to be able to do it," Biden said at the White House on Tuesday, according to The Hill.
"I say to these governors, please help. If you aren't going to help, at least get out of the way of people who are trying to do the right thing. Use your power to save lives," he added.
Biden was asked about Florida and Texas, where governors Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, respectively, have signed executive orders prohibiting mask mandates.
"I believe the results of their decisions are not good for their constituents, and it's clear to me and to most of the medical experts that the decisions being made like not allowing mask mandates in schools and the like are bad health policy," Biden said during the press conference.
When asked why he doesn't tell DeSantis this message directly over a phone call, Biden said, "He knows the message. We had a little discussion while we were down there," apparently referring to his trip to Surfside, Fla., in July, following the condominum collapse.
Arizona, Iowa, South Carolina, and Vermont have also banned schools from implementing mask mandates.
RT provides some more details:
Questioned about his ban on local officials enacting mask mandates in April at a press conference on Tuesday, Hutchinson was surprisingly open about his change in position.
"Everything has changed now," the governor said. "And yes in hindsight, I wish that had not become law. But it is the law. And the only chance we have is either to amend it or for the court to say that it has an unconstitutional foundation."
Hutchinson is one of multiple Republican governors to sign bills into law that push back against potential vaccine passports or mask mandates.
Arkansas is seeing its highest Covid-19 cases since January. Less than half of adults in the state are fully vaccinated, and the state has the third lowest vaccination rate in the country.
Hutchinson's criticism of a law he signed led to heavy mockery online from liberal critics.
Hutchinson is now calling for a special state legislative session to reevaluate the ban, which the governor argued he signed into law when Covid-19 cases were dropping.
The Republican governor did not go as far as some Democrats have in recent weeks by calling for an actual mask mandate across the state, but did appear open to mask mandates dictated by school districts.
The state's health secretary, Jose Romero, added that coronavirus cases among young people have been rising dramatically in recent months. Cases among those under 18, the health secretary said, rose by 500% from the month of April to July. Hospitalizations for people under 18, meanwhile, have reportedly increased by over 200%.
Comment: Just The News reports that Biden is turning up the pressure by reprimanding the Republican governors: RT provides some more details: