U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks at the Capitol in Washington, DC, Jan. 7, 2021.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amended bill Tuesday (Jan. 12) that would impose fines on lawmakers for not wearing masks.
According to a resolution passed on Tuesday, security officers are “authorized and directed to impose fines on members, representatives, or resident commissioners who fail to wear masks in violation of the policy announced by the Speaker on January 4, 2021.
Previously, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had mandated that members wear masks on the House floor. However, some lawmakers have not been complying with the rule.
The resolution passed Tuesday will be embedded in H.R. Res. 21 as an amendment. The latter calls on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke Amendment 25 to remove President Donald Trump from office. The House passed the resolution 223 to 205. However, Pence had previously told Pelosi that he would not invoke the 25th Amendment.
Those who fail to wear the required mask will face a $500 fine for a first offense and a $2,500 fine for a second offense.
Following a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, four lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19 (pneumonia disease caused by the Chinese Communist virus). Three of the Democrats all blamed this diagnosis on their Republican colleagues and increased pressure on the Republicans to wear masks as a result.
However, one of those infected, Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, did not wear a mask herself during part of the meeting, and Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin returned to the Capitol after testing positive and not completing the quarantine period recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
People can spread the CCP virus (Wuhan pneumonia) to others whether they wear a mask or not. However, proponents of wearing masks have repeatedly emphasized that transmission is more likely if masks are not worn.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told colleagues on the House floor Tuesday that in the new rule, “they’re saying if you don’t wear a mask, you’re going to be fined, regardless of whether you’ve caught COVID (the Chinese Communist virus), whether you’ve been vaccinated.”
“You slip your mask a little bit, you get fined, and the rule is unquestionable?” He added.
But others said they support the fines.
Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux, a Georgia Democrat, wrote in a tweet, “Cases are surging and we need to do our part now.”
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