Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Sept 13, 2024 3:49:26 GMT
NJ Republican governor candidate introduces bill to outlaw wearing masks in public - Published Sept 12, 2024
By Katie Sobko
A Republican candidate for New Jersey governor introduced new legislation Thursday that would prohibit people from wearing masks in public, just weeks after a similar bill was passed in Nassau County on Long Island.
The bill would prohibit masks in certain circumstances, but even its sponsor, Sen. Jon Bramnick, acknowledged that it is a long way from passing.
Bramnick said this is the “first attempt to do something like this” and that he knows “we’ve got a lot of work to do on this.”
“There’s going to be a lot of amendments and drafts of this bill to meet the constitutional muster. This bill as it’s written isn’t going to pass the Legislature at this point, but it’s my first attempt to get the discussion going,” he said.
According to Bramnick, there are people using masks to disguise themselves and commit crimes, and that’s who he wants this bill to target.
He believes that ultimately it would be an additional charge when a crime is being committed and that “legitimate mask wearers have nothing to fear.”
The bill would make it a petty disorderly persons offense for people to congregate in public while wearing masks or obscuring their faces in some way to conceal their identity.
There would be a handful of exceptions, though, for Halloween; participation in a public parade or exhibition of an educational, religious or historical character; protection from weather; head coverings or veils in accordance with religious beliefs or customs; or medical purposes.
Similar legislation was signed into law in Nassau County on Long Island last month. The controversial new law was the first of its kind in the country and was also focused on increasing public safety. That law is already being challenged by a class-action suit.
Bramnick is running in the Republican primary for the 2025 gubernatorial nomination as a moderate. Governor Phil Murphy's office did not immediately return a call for comment.
By Katie Sobko
A Republican candidate for New Jersey governor introduced new legislation Thursday that would prohibit people from wearing masks in public, just weeks after a similar bill was passed in Nassau County on Long Island.
The bill would prohibit masks in certain circumstances, but even its sponsor, Sen. Jon Bramnick, acknowledged that it is a long way from passing.
Bramnick said this is the “first attempt to do something like this” and that he knows “we’ve got a lot of work to do on this.”
“There’s going to be a lot of amendments and drafts of this bill to meet the constitutional muster. This bill as it’s written isn’t going to pass the Legislature at this point, but it’s my first attempt to get the discussion going,” he said.
According to Bramnick, there are people using masks to disguise themselves and commit crimes, and that’s who he wants this bill to target.
He believes that ultimately it would be an additional charge when a crime is being committed and that “legitimate mask wearers have nothing to fear.”
The bill would make it a petty disorderly persons offense for people to congregate in public while wearing masks or obscuring their faces in some way to conceal their identity.
There would be a handful of exceptions, though, for Halloween; participation in a public parade or exhibition of an educational, religious or historical character; protection from weather; head coverings or veils in accordance with religious beliefs or customs; or medical purposes.
Similar legislation was signed into law in Nassau County on Long Island last month. The controversial new law was the first of its kind in the country and was also focused on increasing public safety. That law is already being challenged by a class-action suit.
Bramnick is running in the Republican primary for the 2025 gubernatorial nomination as a moderate. Governor Phil Murphy's office did not immediately return a call for comment.