This Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Arizona House voted to approve a measure that would allow businesses to choose whether or not they want to comply with the state's mask mandate.
According to Republicans who support the measure, government mask mandates and other lockdown measures have hurt businesses and masks don't necessarily keep COVID-19 from spreading.
When Republican Arizona State Representative Joanne Osborne stepped to the microphone to cast the deciding vote on whether the bill would move forward to the state Senate, she briefly paused and then declared, "I'm no communist. I vote aye."
Osborne tested positive for COVID-19 last year. She decided to close her jewelry shop after saying that "coronavirus was attacking" her staff.
"With an abundance of caution and concern, this was the right thing to do for our employees and customers. Unfortunately, it seems I am the last of my team to catch the chaotic COVID-19," she wrote on Facebook at the time.
Watch the video below: