One of the issues holding up the state budget is a push to institute a mask ban, though one of proposal’s authors would prefer you didn’t label it “a ban."  

Hudson Valley Democratic state Sen. James Skoufis would prefer the proposal be called “a crackdown on masked menacing."

His argument is that the proposal is much narrower than a full ban on masking.

“There is a characterization out there that this is a mask ban; this is not a mask ban,” Skoufis told Capital Tonight. “The only circumstances during which the wearing of masks would be banned is if that individual is harassing or menacing someone.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul added the proposal (A.3133/S.3070) to negotiations late, after a series of incidents involving masked pro-Palestinian activists, she and others labeled antisemitic.  

Her reasons for implementing the legislation also include protecting New Yorkers from masked criminals on the subway.

The proposal, if passed, would make it a crime for people to wear face masks to harass or threaten, though there are a variety of exemptions for issues, including health and weather.

Among the bill’s critics is the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). In its opposition memo, the civil rights group stated that, if passed, the bill would “open the floodgates to disproportionate enforcement, penalizing people for what they are wearing rather than unlawful conduct.”

According to the NYCLU, more than 100 organization in New York are demanding lawmakers to reject the proposal.