By SUZANNE DOWNING
As the Alaska Legislature prepares to convene its second session of the 34th Legislature on Jan. 20 in Juneau, lawmakers on Friday began releasing the first wave of pre-filed bills, offering an early look at the political and policy fights that will shape the coming months.
Among the measures filed Jan. 9, one proposal immediately stands out: House Bill 250, introduced by Rep. Sara Hannan, D-Juneau, which would make it a crime for any peace officer to conceals his or her face while interacting with the public.
The bill, titled “An Act establishing the crime of wearing a mask in public while acting as a peace officer,” would create a new misdemeanor offense for any law-enforcement officer who “knowingly conceals the peace officer’s face with a mask or disguise” while acting in an official capacity.
Under the legislation, an officer wearing a face covering during public interactions could be charged with a Class B misdemeanor, unless they are working undercover, using a clear protective shield, wearing a physician-authorized medical mask, or using a mask for smoke exposure.
The timing and structure of the bill come as federal immigration enforcement has become a flashpoint across the country and in Alaska, with ICE agents increasingly targeted by activists and political officials. Officers in immigration enforcement commonly use face coverings to protect their identities and their families from retaliation and doxxing, particularly during high-profile operations or protests. Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, a socialist, has all but declared war on ICE, endangering these officers with her war-like rhetoric.
The US Justice Department in November filed a legal challenge to a similar ban in California.
“Not only are the laws illegal attempts to discriminate against and regulate the federal government, but, as alleged in the complaint, the laws threaten the safety of federal officers who have faced an unprecedent wave of harassment, doxxing, and even violence. Threatening officers with prosecution for simply protecting their identities and their families also chills the enforcement of federal law and compromises sensitive law enforcement operations. The danger is acute,” the Justice Department wrote.
Hannan’s proposal would make that protection for officers illegal in most public interactions.
The bill also highlights a political reversal. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Hannan was one of the Legislature’s strongest advocates for universal masking and government-mandated face coverings.
Under HB 250, however, law-enforcement officers would be criminally prohibited from concealing their faces, even when doing so for personal safety rather than medical safety.
The measure takes effect immediately if passed and would apply to any offenses committed after its effective date.
HB 250 is part of a larger package of legislation released Friday as lawmakers move to stake out their priorities before the session gavels in.
Other House bills pre-filed Jan. 9 include legislation on emergency communications for public safety, PFAS contamination and water testing, restrictions on diet and muscle-building supplements, new mathematics instruction requirements, childhood immunization policy, criminal negligence and failure-to-assist laws, and digital harassment and impersonation in schools.
Several education-related bills were also filed, including proposals dealing with correspondence study programs, special-education service agency funding, and school board eligibility.
On the Senate side, pre-filed measures include proposals to restructure the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission, change agricultural land assessments, revise involuntary commitment court reporting, alter the term of the AIDEA chair, regulate firearm conversion devices, and update policies related to substitute teaching, suicide prevention, and property crimes.
The first wave of pre-filed legislation gives an snapshot of what lawmakers want to put in play before the session formally begins — but HB 250, with its direct impact on law-enforcement safety and its implications for ICE operations, is already signaling one of the most politically charged debates likely to unfold when legislators return to Juneau later this month.
We’ll be breaking down the pre-filed bills in upcoming reports. But readers can peruse them here.
18 thoughts on “After pushing mask mandates, Rep. Hannan now wants to criminalize masks for cops”
Can’t cure stupid… Well maybe you can. Every Village cop, trooper or US. Marshall that comes to the Bush, wears a face mask in winter. Come to think of it when the weather is sub zero and the wind is blowing, everyone wears a mask.
So send Hannan out here to do a day of patrolling on a village four wheeler or snogo, without wearing a mask…
Her face will be burnt frostbite black in an hour.. I’m pretty sure this lesson in reality would cure stupid.
39 year old Roberto Munoz, Guatemala citizen, wanted by ICE for arrest and detention. Charged with raping a 3 year old in 2022. Renee Good interfered with that apprehension.
Tell me about your noble cause, Democrats.
Cognitive inconsistency by a leftist is pretty standard. They are ruled by relativism and emotion, not logic or common sense.
Do we really want a representative who is so easily influenced by social media? She’s no more qualified than a teenager addicted to TikTok. They dox the peace officers – local, state and federal – thus, they mask up. If we entertain her mindset, then all protesters should be mandated to submit their names and addresses so that we can dox them in an equivalent manner. What a complete and utter petulant dolt this woman? is.
Though I hope HB 250 does not pass, but if it does I will be happy to write a mask prescription for any and every Law Enforcement Officer in the State of Alaska for the protection of their lives, health, and safety. Bless them for what they do every day….
Except when they are assassinating harmless, unarmed citizens by shooting them in the head. Don’t bless them then, OK?
Words have meanings.
Assassination 1: murder by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons : the act or an instance of assassinating someone (such as a prominent political leader).
Putting oneself in danger by not complying with lawful orders while obstructing a public road and then using a vehicle as a weapon then suffering the unfortunate results of the actions you’ve taken is not now nor has it ever been an assassination, to suggest otherwise shows a complete lack of understanding of the events let alone the English language.
If it was one of your loved ones in that car, you’d have a decidedly different opinion on the matter. You have surrendered your own integrity and your perceptions of reality, Steve-O.
Q: How many fingers am I holding up, Winston? A: As many as the Party says you are.”
It’s completely on brand for you to continue to misquote and misunderstand what it is you are attempting to quote. You clearly do not understand what my opinion is of this tragedy, nor do you know what my opinion would be of it were a loved one of mine who put themselves in this situation. I know you think attacking me over and over with your perceived “integrity” and “perceptions of reality” nonsense somehow furthers your viewpoint, but it doesn’t, in fact it shows how unprepared you are to support your cause with meaningful and rational dialog. You can do better Hans, I have faith in you.
If it was your 3 year old daughter or grand daughter that was raped by Munoz who they were in the process of capturing while Renee Good was deliberately harassing and impeding the arrest of you would have a decidedly different opinion on the matter. Or possibly not since it is common for Democrats and liberals to feel it is a woman’s choice to terminate lives of unborn children so it may be possible you think the rape of a 3 year old is OK?
That list of bills proves these government dependents have too much time on their hands they are bored and look for anything to do.
These legislators are so used to doing nothing all day they’d struggle with a McDonald’s or Hotel Housekeepers shift for being too much work
So, if a peace officer wears a mask while interacting with the public, does that peace officer cite him/her/they/them/etc self? What a conundrum!
When masks are needed to maintain public health, it is right to promote them. When masks are used to hide the faces of MAGA thugs murdering citizens it is right to call for their elimination.
Makes perfect sense to me. No conflict here whatsoever.
Mask were never needed for public health, so your entire premise is flawed. You need to work on your definitions, words have meaning and you either twist or deliberately ignore them.
Interestingly how come you are giving illegal alien thugs terrorizing and murdering innocent citizens or the masked rioters destroying other people’s livelihood and threatening violence as pass here Hans? By your argument shouldn’t we make it an arrestable/criminal offense to wear masks or furry outfits(who takes these seriously anyway) at riots/protests or in commission of a crime??
I bet all of a sudden all that “protesting” would slow down considerably.
Words have meanings.
Murder 1: the crime of unlawfully and unjustifiably killing a person
Putting oneself in danger by not complying with lawful orders while obstructing a public road and then using a vehicle as a weapon then suffering the unfortunate results of the actions you’ve taken is not now nor has it ever been an assassination, to suggest otherwise shows a complete lack of understanding of the events let alone the English language.
I would support her regulation only if it included EVERYONE including the murdering raping thieves that they are attempting to apprehend as well as the ignorant protestors dancing around blowing whistles and screaming at officers which is endangering everyone’s life in the process. The only reason the criminals and protestors are wearing masks is because they know their actions are well outside the rules of law and order. Hannan needs to be “inclusive” when it comes to regulating and the “cleanup” of four years of chaotic unorganized and complete disregard of following immigration laws during Joe Biden’s (and his handlers) as well as his border czar Kamala Harris’s complete screwup of democrat voter importation.
In a couple words, Stupid, Hypocritical….!
Steve-O, Andy: In that they fail to make rational contributions to these conversations, I recommend utterly ignoring Kitten and his Ding-a-lingh. Truly, they are not worth your time or anyone else’s. And, if you ignore them, perhaps they’ll return to the ‘blue skies’ from whence they winged in.