Hochul’s still pushing. We have to push harder.

Hi all,

Lawmakers are exhausted. The budget is almost done. And that's exactly when bad policies slip through.

We’ve made real and impressive progress — Politico reported that Hochul’s original mask ban proposal is deeply unpopular and unlikely to pass. However, over the weekend, Hochul told reporters she still plans to jam some version of anti-mask policy into the final budget.

The Governor  has dropped some particularly polarizing pieces of her original proposal, but she’s still determined to criminalize masking — and if lawmakers are tired enough, they might let her.

We can’t let our guard down now. Here’s what you can do today:

1. Make a call. 

Tell lawmakers to keep masks out of the budget. First, call your state legislators. Then call Governor Hochul. (If you have time, call Speaker Heastie and Leader Stewart-Cousins.)

Here’s what to say:

Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m calling as a constituent to urge [the elected official] to oppose any legislation that penalizes masking in the budget or beyond, including sentencing enhancements. This kind of policy punishes people for protecting their health and disproportionately harms marginalized communities that are already over-policed.

Can we count on [the elected official] to [if not leader: tell leadership to] leave anti-mask policies out of the budget entirely?

Fill out our debrief form when you’re done.

2. Ask 3 friends to do the same.

 Forward them this message:

Hochul’s still trying to slip anti-mask policies into the New York budget. Calls are urgent right now. It only takes 5 minutes. Can you call your reps and tell them to oppose any anti-mask legislation, even as an enhancement? Thank you! Toolkit here: bit.ly/no-mask-ban

We’ve made so much progress, but we can only win if we keep the pressure on. No anti-mask laws in the budget. Period.

With urgency,
Jews for Mask Rights