Tensions are flaring in the Alaska House over masking rules imposed during a COVID outbreak, with floor sessions cut short or canceled altogether.
The policy now in place makes masks optional, with some exceptions, and ends the testing requirement.
The presiding officers of the House and Senate have authority over their respective chambers and can impose masking requirements within them, said Jessica Geary, executive director of the Legislative Affairs Agency. Konrad Jackson, an aide to Senate President Peter Micciche, said COVID-19 protocols for the Senate floor are currently optional as case counts continue to be monitored.
Masks are required in the House and Senate Finance committee rooms; those rules were announced this week. The version of the operating budget that passes the House still must go to the Senate. The state infrastructure budget is also unresolved.
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