Submit Written Testimony to Protect the Right to Wear Masks in Massachusetts: Deadline June 24
Bill S.1427 protects the rights of Massachusetts residents to choose when to wear a mask or face covering by preemptively stopping local governments from passing laws “prohibit[ing] the wearing of face coverings for protective or medical use in any indoor or outdoor space open to the public”.
- Send written testimony to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government by June 24.
Talking points:
- Clearly state that you “Support S 1427 and urge the legislators to refer it favorably out of committee” at the beginning and end of your testimony.
- MOST IMPORTANTLY: Urge the committee to strengthen the language of the bill by adding a clause that says, “no policy or law should prohibit, chill, or otherwise burden medical masking.”
- As written the current bill provides potential grounds for questioning an individual’s motivations for wearing a mask, which undermines individual autonomy and could chill the participation of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses in public life.
- Mention any personal connections or professional credentials that give you additional authority or a personal stake regarding the bill.
- Tell a personal story if you have one or share evidence regarding why it is important to protect our right to wear masks.
Sample text for verbal/written testimony
(Click the below link or copy the below text into an email, making sure to modify the part between the *** with personal details).
Email to: jointcommittee.municipalities®ionalgovernment@malegislature.gov
Honorable Senators Rausch, Representative Lewis and Members of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government:
I am testifying in support of S1427. I urge you to pass this bill favorably out of committee. The bill protects our civil rights to make our own personal decisions to protect our personal health and the public health
[***I am here as a … insert personal and/or professional connections with this issue which are the reason you are offering testimony***]
In addition, I urge the committee to strengthen the bill language by adding that “no policy or law should prohibit, chill, or otherwise burden medical masking.” People need to be able to be assured that they will be able to participate in our democracy, and other aspects of public life, while being allowed to make their own decisions about how to protect the health of themselves and their family members.
I am concerned that the current language may enable a law officer to challenge an individuals’ right to wear a mask. For example, an officer may detain or question an individual or require them to remove their mask, claiming that they are not wearing it for “for protective or medical use.” An officer might decide that wearing a mask for “medical use” does not apply to someone who is not visibly sick, or to someone who wears a mask to limit the chances of exposing a household member to an infectious respiratory disease. Furthermore, personal health information is private, and requiring disabled people to disclose health conditions is a stigmatizing invasion of privacy. Lastly, as we have seen racial profiling and implicit bias impact enforcement in other settings, people of color may be disproportionately impacted by rules which potentially expand the powers of law enforcement.
Especially with growing outbreaks of measles across the country, we must ensure that our laws defend rather than threaten our autonomy to protect our own health. Mask bans are a slippery slope, which could make public spaces such as healthcare facilities, universities, schools and grocery stores inaccessible to people with disabilities, chronic illnesses and their loved ones. Furthermore, the rise of doxxing and harassment for political speech threatens our First Amendment freedoms, as people must weigh the risk of professional consequences or even detention or interrogation by federal officials simply for exercising their right to criticize the policies of our government.
In closing, protecting the right to wear a mask is a fundamental way to ensure that our society and Commonwealth is welcoming to all, including people with disabilities and chronic illness, who may need to take steps to protect themselves from respiratory illness transmission as well as political retribution, while participating in public gatherings and in our democracy.
Thank you again, I urge you once more to refer S. 1427 favorably out of committee.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Background on S.1427: An Act Prohibiting Municipal Bans of Face Coverings for Protective or Medical Use
S.1427 protects the rights of Massachusetts residents to choose when to wear a mask or face covering by preemptively stopping local governments from passing laws “prohibit[ing] the wearing of face coverings for protective or medical use in any indoor or outdoor space open to the public”.
The bill was proposed by Senator William Brownsberger at the request of public health advocates and constituents. The bill currently states that “No city or town shall enact an ordinance or by-law, or establish any policy, that prohibits the wearing of face coverings for protective or medical use.”
Stronger language would ideally protect our rights to protect our own health, which are currently being chilled amid politicized, bad-faith attacks on medical masking across the country.
Submit Written Testimony to urge the MA State Legislature to Protect the Right to Wear Masks in Massachusetts before June 24!