A Republican governor is now admitting that he wishes he hadn’t signed legislation banning mask mandates in his state, when asked about it by a reporter. It’s the same Republican governor who refused to sign a law in his state earlier this year banning transgender hormone therapies and mutilating surgeries for minors.
Watch:
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) says he regrets signing law banning local mask mandates, as COVID cases quickly rise in his state.
“In hindsight, I wish that had not become law,” said Hutchinson, who has asked lawmakers to allow school districts to adopt mask mandates. pic.twitter.com/sj1Q8ukLCA
— The Recount (@therecount) August 4, 2021
Here’s more from DC Examiner:
Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said on Tuesday that he wished he hadn’t signed a ban on mask mandates into law earlier in the year as the country grapples with a surge of coronavirus cases.
In late April, the governor approved a ban on both state and local face covering requirements, which took effect toward the end of July. The law does not forbid businesses from mandating masks and doesn’t apply to state-controlled healthcare facilities, prisons, or any entity operated by Arkansas’s Division of Youth Services.
When asked by a reporter this week whether or not he regretted his decision to sign the legislation, Hutchinson conceded that he thought it wasn’t a good idea.
“I signed it for those reasons that our cases were at a low point,” he said. “Everything has changed now, and yes, in hindsight, I wish that had not become law, but it is the law, and the only chance we have is either to amend it or for the courts to say that it has an unconstitutional foundation.”
That’s right, he’s now hoping a court will declare the law he signed as unconstitutional so he can reimpose mask mandates. What a clown show Hutchinson has become.