HB2086

THE CONTEXT: Governmental entities are prohibited from imposing a requirement to: 1) wear a mask or face covering anywhere on the governmental entity's premises, except in the case of special health care districts and for long-standing workplace safety and infection control measures unrelated to COVID-19; and 2) receive a vaccination for COVID-19 or any COVID-19 variant, except in a health care institution that is owned or operated by a government entity. A governmental entity is the state or any political subdivision of the state that receives and uses state tax revenues (A.

WHAT THE BILL DID: Prohibits governmental entities from imposing a mask, face covering or vaccination requirement on any Arizona resident.

WHY IT MATTERED: The practical reason for this bill was to set a clear legal boundary for vaccination mandates instead of leaving the conduct unaddressed. It would prohibit a governmental entity from requiring an Arizona resident to wear a mask or face covering regardless of whether the person is on governmental premises, and would also remove the exemptions from the prohibitions on governmental entity face mask and vaccination requirements for special health care districts and health care institutions owned or operated by a government entity, respectively, rather than leave the current rule unchanged.