Lawmakers exempted from mask rule
Oklahoma legislators will be strongly encouraged, but not required, to wear masks in the state Capitol during the upcoming legislative session.
However, other state employees and visitors to the Capitol building are required to wear masks inside when social distancing is not possible.
Republican leaders of the House and Senate on Friday released COVID-19 protocols for the four-month legislative session that begins Monday.
Saying the Capitol is not a safe working environment because some lawmakers refuse to wear masks, Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, said he plans on casting his votes from home. Young, who received his first COVID19 vaccine last week, intends to avoid the building until he has gained the full immunity from both shots, which he anticipates won't occur until mid-March.
"The governor has mandated masks for every state office," he said. "Why can’t the( Senate) pro te ma nd the (House) speaker tell the members, ‘you’ve got to wear masks in the building?'"
The COVID-19 protocols are the result of House and Senate working groups that consulted with public health professionals and reviewed safety precautions implemented in other state Capitols. The protocols include:
• All legislative proceedings will be livestreamed online at okhouse.gov and oksenate.gov.
• Reduced seating in the legislative chamber sand committee hearing rooms to allow for social distancing.
•Established overflow rooms so there's additional space to watch committee hearings.
• Legislators will be able to vote remotely during committee meetings and floor votes.
•Regular C OVID -19 testing will be offered to legislators and staffers.
•Increased availability of hand sanitizer and regular and extensive cleaning throughout the building.
• Public gatherings in legislative chambers, committee rooms and hallways will be prohibited.
These steps are to protect the health and safety of those who work in the Capitol or visit the building, House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, and Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat , R- Oklahoma City, said in a news release.
“We are taking the pandemic seriously ,” McCall said. “These are significant, responsible changes that I applaud my colleagues for developing. If you need to beat the Capitol, you can be here safely. If you do not need to beat the Capitol, you can still view all proceedings online and contact your legislators anytime.”
When legislators returned to the state Capitol earlier this month for their organizational day, many Republican members did not wear masks despite a requirement that Capitol visitors wear masks inside the building when social distancing is not possible. Republican legislators in the House also overwhelmingly tabled a proposed amendment to the chamber's rules that would have required lawmakers wear masks as part of the dress code.
Sen. Mary B or en, D-Norman, said she's hopeful legislative leaders will strongly encourage their members to comply with the protocols, especially maskwearing. Proper mask usage reduces the transmission of COVID-19
“My strategy is to show up, do what I'm supposed to do and expect the leadership to follow the protocols and use their leadership to get their members to follow the protocols,” she said.
State lawmakers were offered COVID-19 vaccines in mid-January.
It's not clear how many lawmakers opted to receive a vaccine, but the news release said a “large majority” of the Legislature will be vaccinated by early in the session.
“Shutting down the Legislature or public access to it were not options, so we developed a comprehensive, bicameral approach that is reasonable and allows the people's business to safely continue,” Senate Majority Floor Leader Kim David, R-Porter, said in the release.
At the start of the COVID19 pandemic and amid uncertainty about the severity of the health crisis, legislative leaders closed the state Capitol to the general public last year.
In the House, where lawmakers share desks, Plexiglass dividers have been installed. In order to maintain social distancing among the 101 members of the House during floor votes, legislators will be able to vote from outside the chamber or from a designated members-only section of the gallery.
House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D- Norman, said COVID-19 protocols at the Capitol will be imperative to ensure lawmakers avoid an outbreak that could derail the session. In a panel discussion Thursday, Virgin also said it's important the public can stay involved in the legislative process without having to visit the building.
“One of our main priorities needs to be that we're doing things in a transparent manner, and that the public still has just as much access to what we're doing in this building as they have in the past,” she said. “We will probably have folks who don't feel comfortable coming to the Capitol.”
In order to adequately space out legislators, state officials and members of the media, the public will not be able to attend Gov. Kevin St it t' s State of the State address on Monday. Stitt's speech, which will start at about 12:30 p.m ., will be broadcast on the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority ( OETA) and on Oklahoman.com.