Murdock, Caldwell weigh in on special session for masks
Covid-19 cases continuing to increase across state
A group of state legislators is pushing for Gov. Asa Hutchinson to call a special session regarding the ban on a mask mandate.
District 52 Rep. Reginald Murdock, D-Marianna, said legislators have voiced some serious concerns regarding the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in the state.
"It is not that we are calling for a special session, it is that there are items out there that need our attention and they need to be addressed," said Murdock. "As the numbers of Covid-19 and the Delta variant continue to rise, there are definitely some concerns about that."
"Obviously, the tax cuts situation has not been settled from the previous session," Murdock continued. "We only suspended that session; we did not end the session yet, and there are things that are happening that deserve some attention. We have some areas of concern to deal with here."
District 23 Sen. Ronald Caldwell, R-Wynne, said that due to a bill passed by the legislature in this year’s session, Hutchinson can no longer mandate the wearing of masks in the state.
"You can see both sides of the story on this," said Caldwell. "The big deal is when the governor declared emergency powers a year ago, he took on a responsibility he normally doesn't have. Most people think that emergency powers only last for a short term and these lasted for over a year. The legislature passed a bill that he cannot mandate masks."
According to Murdock, due to very diverse political opinions among state legislators, coming to a consensus could be impossible.
"From the national, state and local communications, we know there are different thoughts on this," said Murdock. "We are not ready for a special session because it would last a long time and be a waste of taxpayers’ money to go in and just debate for three or four weeks on something. We are trying to get to a consensus, but I don't know if we will get there to be honest. There are very diverse political opinions, then there are the politics and everything else in between."
Caldwell said that due to conflicting reports from the Centers for Disease Control and health departments in the state, nobody knows exactly what to believe.
"What we've got is one person’s expectation of where their rights start and another person’s expectations of where your rights stop," said Caldwell. "Some people don't feel like they have the right to mandate on someone else any rules and regulations that interfere with things they perceive to be their personal freedoms.
"The real problem with the masks and the reason that the health departments and the CDC have given is that if you have the vaccine, you don't need the mask, and if you wear a mask, you don't need the vaccine," Caldwell continued. "They also stated that if you have had Covid, you don't need either, and then they turn around and change the story. Nobody really knows what to believe."
Murdock said that with the next school year on the horizon and numbers being double what they were last year at this time, there are many needs for a rise in vaccinations and a reason to be concerned.
"School is coming and our numbers are higher this year than they were at the same time last year," said Murdock. "We have to make some critical decisions. There is reason to be concerned, there is a reason why people think we should be
(Continued from Page 1) mandating masks. We had a clinic at the Civic Center in Forrest City yesterday. We are trying to inform people and trying to get people vaccinated to keep everyone safer."
According to Caldwell, more information needs to be given to the public so residents can better understand what is going on with the pandemic.
"Some are pushing herd immunity, that so many people have to build up immunity before it is effective,” said Caldwell. “Everything they have said over the past year has not come to fruition. With the vaccine, a lot of people who are up to date on the vaccine are still catching Covid. How do you explain that? I can't and no one can explain it to me. I wish we had more information on what is happening. If the mask works, why do you need the vaccine, and if the vaccine works, why do you need a mask? Also, if you have built up a natural immunity to it by having the virus previously, why do you need either?"
"Typically, when the covernor calls a special session there is a consensus on something," said Murdock. "A special session right now would be nothing but a fight over the mask mandate ban because there are two sides to that spectrum of mask mandates and government intervention in people’s personal choices as it relates to their own health and safety."
According to Caldwell, the governor will not normally call a special session without knowing that an issue will pass.
"The governor has to call a special session," said Caldwell. "Last year, we put an issue on the ballot for November 2021 for the state legislature to call ourselves into special session. Today, we cannot do that as it is unconstitutional. So the legislature cannot call one at this time. Normally, he will not call a special session if he cannot get what he needs passed, passed. He would have to put that particular item on the call, send it to the Secretary of State’s office and we go from there. He will not call a session for something that will not pass."