Bill allowing businesses to bypass mask ordinances passes state Senate

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - A Republican-led effort to let businesses determine their own masking rules now heads to the governor’s office after it passed the state Senate on Thursday.

HB 2770 would allow businesses to decide whether or not they want to follow mask rules on their property imposed by local and state governments, according to a news release from the Arizona House of Representatives.

“The need for this bill now is more evident than ever,” bill sponsor Rep. Joseph Chaplik (R) said. “Recent developments show that without a protection in law, businesses and their customers are subject to the decisions of local rogue politicians who want to control you indefinitely. This bill did not receive any Democrat votes throughout the entire process. I would hope the Governor signs this bill as it does exactly what his temporary executive orders do, but now permanently.”