If Rep. Chris Kurka (Wasilla District 7) wanted to make everyone in the Alaska House of Representatives uncomfortable, he did so on Friday.
Kurka, who opposes having to wear a mask in the Capitol, appeared on the House floor with one that had words on the front: “Government Mandated Muzzle.”
Speaker Louise Stutes decided that was inappropriate attire for the House, according to Uniform Rules, and she told him to either change masks or leave. Kurka refused, and after 45 minutes of House members wasting their time, Stutes adjourned, and said the House will meet on Saturday instead. And Sunday, if necessary, according to sources.
House members in the Republican Minority were deeply embarrassed by the Kurka antics, and said a certain decorum is required to be a legislator, and that Kurka was behaving like a child, demanding that there be a vote on whether or not he could remain in the House Chambers with his special message mask.
“He may not like the rules, and some of us don’t like the rules, but this is a rules-based government. We do things through rules,” said an aide. “He also can’t show up on the House floor dressed like a clown, or with a mask that says ‘F*ck this mask’ if the presiding officer says so.”
But now that horns have been locked between Kurka and the House Speaker, the standoff could proceed through the weekend and beyond, costing the State of Alaska hundreds of thousands of dollars a day.
Some legislators wear cloth face masks with a legislative seal printed on it, while others wear plain black, printed, or surgical masks.
Rep. Sara Rasmussen has begun wearing a clear shield that has cloth bunting around the bottom of it to provide a filter for Covid particles.
The fine set by Legislative Council for violation of the Legislature’s mask mandate is $250 a day. Second fine is $500, but to date no one has been fined.
Last year, Rep. David Eastman was the only House member to wear a face mask, and he chose an N95 mask, and goggles. Some in the building derided him for it. This year, Eastman is wearing a cloth mask that frequently slips out of place, and no goggles.
There is no exact rule on what the mask must look like, and on Ashley Johnson-Barr Day last week, some legislators wore purple masks to honor the memory of the Kotzebue girl who was brutally killed. But the Uniform Rules prohibit political messages on attire on the House floor.
