PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.

No Mask Mandates Act of 2021

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Aug 9, 2021

No Mask Mandates Act of 2021

This bill nullifies existing federal mask mandates and prohibits future actions to require individuals to wear face masks to respond to COVID-19.

Specifically, the bill nullifies

the executive order issued on January 20, 2021, that requires the use of face masks in federal buildings and on federal lands; and

the emergency order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on January 29, 2021, that requires the use of face masks on public transportation conveyances and in transportation hubs.

In addition, the bill prohibits (1) federal agencies or offices from issuing any future orders that mandate face masks, and (2) the use of previously appropriated federal funds to implement or enforce masking requirements.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] · R–TX

Committees

  • Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
1 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

  2. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Apr 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze S.2685 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine S.2685 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine S.2685 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine S.2685 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

View full prompt & sources