119-hr3236

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3236 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3236

To prohibit the Federal Government from establishing, implementing, or 
 enforcing any Federal requirement for members of the Armed Forces to 
 wear a face mask while in uniform when not directly related to their 
 duties.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 May 7, 2025

 Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To prohibit the Federal Government from establishing, implementing, or 
 enforcing any Federal requirement for members of the Armed Forces to 
 wear a face mask while in uniform when not directly related to their 
 duties.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Undoing and Nullifying Mandates so 
our Armed Services Keep Succeeding Act'' or the ``UNMASK Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization 
 officially declared an end to the global Public Health 
 Emergency for COVID-19, which led to the Centers for Disease 
 Control and Prevention and other public health agencies 
 shifting guidance away from universal mask usage.

    (2) With the widespread availability of vaccines and other 
 therapeutic treatments, and the reduction in severe outcomes 
 from COVID-19, masks are no longer justified for members of the 
 Armed Forces.

    (3) Maintaining face coverings in the Department of Defense 
 absent a declared national emergency risks undermining the 
 professionalism and integrity of the uniform, adversely impacts 
 servicemember morale, and detracts from the core mission of the 
 Armed Forces: to fight and win the Nation's wars.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON ESTABLISHMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF THE 
 ARMED FORCES TO WEAR MASKS.

    (a) Prohibition.--Subject to subsection

    (b) and notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, no officer or employee of the Federal 
Government may establish, implement, or enforce any requirement for 
members of the Armed Forces to wear a face mask while serving on active 
duty.

    (b) Exception.--The Secretary of Defense may require members of the 
Armed Forces whose duties include activities that traditionally involve 
wearing personal protective equipment or other face masks for 
operational or safety reasons to wear such equipment, including an 
appropriate face mask, while performing such duties.
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