Georgia House approves anti-mask mandate bill

ATLANTA - Two years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Georgia House of Representatives approved a bill to take the teeth out of school mask mandates.

Gov. Brian Kemp championed the "Unmask Georgia Students Act," which prohibits teachers, administrators, superintendents, or school boards from requiring students to wear masks on school property, unless a parent or guardian can exempt their child.

The legislation also bans schools from retaliating against students who opt out of wearing a face covering.  

"We need to begin to return to normal and this is the first step in doing so," said state Rep. Lauren McDonald, R-Cumming, one of the governor's floor leaders.  "I want to be clear--this bill does not take away a person's ability to wear a mask or say a school district cannot implement a mask mandate.  It is past time for our children to return to normal classrooms and for parents to make the decisions for their children, not the government."

Democrats, however, argued that the bill takes away local control and will hurt school districts' ability to protect their students should new health threats emerge.

"This bill is short-sighted, and it is dangerous," said state Rep. Dr. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilburn.  "Unless you opt out of the public, there is literally no way to opt out of public health, especially when it comes to breathing."

The bill passed by a vote of 93 to 52.  The Senate already approved the measure.

"Our Unmask Georgia Students Act was just passed by the Georgia General Assembly. I look forward to signing this measure into law," Gov. Kemp tweeted.  

The act will go into effect as soon as Gov. Kemp signs it, though Democrats made a procedural move to reconsider the legislation and the earliest that could happen would be Monday.  

The law would expire on June 20, 2027.  

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