VICTOR JOECKS: Democratic legislators make mockery of Sisolak’s mask mandate

Gov. Steve Sisolak’s mask mandate is so overbroad that even some Democratic legislators flouted it.

Two weeks ago, Sisolak ordered Nevadans to wear a mask in public that “fully covers a person’s nose and mouth.” Individuals who disregarded his directive, after receiving a warning from law enforcement, “may be subject to criminal prosecution and civil penalties.” Businesses that didn’t make their customers and employees wear masks could lose their licenses or face other penalties. That could include a fine of more than $130,000.

“We owe it to each other to accept the fact that wearing face coverings saves lives,” Sisolak said in remarks announcing the mandate.

Last week, Sisolak was irate when an OSHA survey found that only 49 percent of businesses complied with the mask mandate on July 2. Overall, compliance in Southern Nevada was around 65 percent. Sisolak called the results “disappointing and unacceptable” and said those businesses were “jeopardizing people’s health.” He threatened to “take swift and decisive actions” against industries that continued to flout the rules.

He should start with the Legislature. On Wednesday, the special session opened to address the state’s budget shortfall. A quick aside: You’ve probably heard that the Legislature is considering “deep cuts.” That’s hyperbole. The budget hole is down to $1.16 billion. After fund sweeps and budget gimmicks, Sisolak hopes to reduce what was going to be record state spending by around 10 percent. If that happens, Nevada would still spend more in fiscal 2021 than it did two years ago.

Back to the masks. An interesting thing kept happening in the Assembly. On Wednesday, many Assembly members took off their masks before speaking. This wasn’t just Republicans making a political statement. Prominent Democrats including Speaker Jason Frierson and Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson did it.

Once, Assemblyman and Nevada State Democratic Party Chairman William McCurdy II started speaking while wearing his mask. Frierson interrupted him and instructed him to “pull your mask down for the recording.”

“For those wondering, many of us are lowering our masks to speak so we can be heard clearly,” Assemblyman Howard Watts III tweeted. That doesn’t make sense. If masks are important, they’re more important when you’re talking than when you’re not.

Frierson and other members of the Assembly weren’t just making a mockery of Sisolak’s edict. They were violating the rules the Assembly had passed. Those rules required members to cover their mouth and nose when in the Assembly chambers. A member found guilty of violating that rule “shall not vote or speak on the floor” until after offering a groveling apology.

As the Assembly speaker, Frierson apparently didn’t think he’d be found guilty of violating the rules he helped put in place. It’s good to be king.

This episode illustrates the reason so many people push back on a mask mandate. Aside from his hypocrisy, what Frierson did was understandable. He judged that people who are socially distanced didn’t need to wear a mask when speaking. In other words, he weighed competing factors and used his judgment. That’s a normal part of being an adult.

Other Nevadans shouldn’t need Sisolak’s permission to do the same.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Listen to him discuss his columns each Monday at 3 p.m. with Kevin Wall on AM 670 KMZQ Right Talk. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on Twitter.