Mask Rule Mandate Not Adopted by Dobson
Mask Rule Mandate Not Adopted by Dobson
“After thoughtful consideration of the petitions received on December 14, 2022, I, Josh Dobson, Commissioner of Labor, have made the decision not to adopt either of the proposed rules, to include the General Industry/Construction Infectious Diseases and the Airborne Infectious Diseases for Migrant Housing and Agricultural employers. This decision comes after carefully reviewing the rulemaking petitions, the record, public comments, listening to both sides, and considering the North Carolina Department of Labor’s statutory authority.
The agency followed the required procedures of Article 2A of Chapter 150B of the NC General Statutes, to include 150B-20 and 150B-21.2.”
Josh Dobson
Commissioner of Labor
This was the much anticipated email sent by Jill Cramer, Department of Labor General Council, to those of us that testified at the mask mandate petition hearings held on January 23, 2024.
Our movement came together beautifully to push back against this threat! HEALNC collaborated with NC Physicians for Freedom, Millions Against Mandates, Moms Across America, Exodus Foundation, Parents for Kids Health, and Guilford Patriots to produce a state-wide strategy. We received valuable assistance from attorney James Lawrence who helped the leaders of this statewide coalition understand the complexities of the rulemaking process.
Attorneys Anthony Biller and Tara Seidel penned the citizens’ petition that many of you signed. If you would like to read the petition, you can find it here.
Thank you to all of you who testified at the hearing, sent a written statement, and signed the citizens’ petition.
How many people signed the petition?
Due to a technical difficulty with the petition, we were not able to get an exact count of the number of people who signed. However, we estimate that there were over 18,000 people who signed the petition!
Members of HEALNC’s leadership team delivered the petition to DOL General Council Jill Cramer on March 4, the final day of the comment period. At that meeting, we expressed our appreciation for Commissioner Dobson’s consideration of declining the mask rule and explained that our goal is to give him the support so he could have proper evidence to decline the proposed rule.
We also asked Ms. Cramer to share with Commissioner Dobson that the proposed mask rule is part of a larger trend in which the invisible hand of the WHO is influencing the sovereignty of the states. We provided them with page one of this flyer produced by Stand for Health Freedom (SHF). The flyer explains that SHF took a look at state bill proposals in the 2023 and 2024 sessions, using the search term “World Health Organization.” What they found was striking. Through 2023 and the first month of 2024, they found lawmakers turning to the WHO as an authority in almost 300 bills!