Top House Democrat Wants Maskless Lawmakers Put In 'Isolation Boxes'
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House Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) wants lawmakers who ignore the chamber’s mask mandate banished to “isolation boxes” in a gallery.
Fines for flouting the mask measure have “proven insufficient to prevent some Members from repeatedly violating this commonsense rule,” Clark said in a letter issued to the sergeant at arms of the House, William J. Walker, on Tuesday.
As #Omicron rages, Members breaking House rules by refusing to #maskup are threatening our dedicated staff and Members. Fines are not enough. I'm calling for unmasked Members to attend the floor and vote from the isolation boxes in the House Gallery. Read more⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UTDAJDlqiE
— Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) January 11, 2022
Transgressors face a first-time fine of $500 and $2,500 each repeat violation.
Extremist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is one of the worst offenders, racking up a reported $90,000 bill.
“This callous disregard for House rules endangers the health of Members of Congress and the professional staff whose physical presence is required to ensure continuity of government,” wrote Clark.
Plexiglass enclosures installed in one of the galleries last year aimed to “minimize the risk of exposure to quarantined Members,” said Clark. “Yet those who refuse to mask pose the same or higher risk of exposing individuals around them to COVID.”
“This commonsense step will not only protect our dedicated House staff from Members who refuse to follow House rules, but it will also allow those Members to fulfill their constitutional duty to vote on matters before the House,” she added.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
