North Carolina Lawmakers Revise Anti-Crime Mask Bill to Add Health Exception

North Carolina lawmakers have revised a bill that increases penalties for criminals who wear masks while committing a crime, clarifying that those who wear masks for health reasons will not be punished. The first version of House Bill 237, titled “Unmasking Mobs and Criminals,” removed the COVID-19-era exemption from a previous mask law that allowed people to wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the updated bill, titled “Various Criminal and Election Law Changes,” language was added to allow people to wear “medical or surgical grade masks for the purpose of preventing the spread of contagious disease,” and also gives law enforcement the right to request that individuals remove their masks temporarily for identification....