KUAR | By Tess Vrbin / Arkansas Advocate
The Arkansas governor’s office asserts that it is unconstitutional for public entities to require people to wear masks as a COVID-19 prevention measure, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Wednesday, just over a week after taking office.
Sanders’ predecessor, fellow Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson, signed a 2021 law prohibiting state and local governments, including public school districts, from implementing mask mandates.
Hutchinson later said he regretted signing the law, Act 1002, and instead said local government entities should decide for themselves whether to require masks.
Michael Hibblen/KUAR
Arkansas GOP primary candidate for governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, speaks to a crowd of supporters on Sept. 6, 2021, in Benton, Ark., her first campaign appearance after announcing her candidacy.