A Senate panel on Tuesday adjourned without fully reviewing any of the five bills scheduled for a hearing after the committee’s Democratic chair said one of the Republican members refused to wear a mask. 

The Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee had wrapped up roughly a half-hour of public testimony on a bill from Senate President Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, seeking to create a veteran suicide prevention pilot program when Chair Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, called a halt to proceedings. After a 10-minute recess, she cited health and safety concerns in adjourning the panel for the day without taking action on Garcia’s bill or the other four on the calendar. 

A spokeswoman for Senate Democrats said the move was driven by Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, who refused to wear a mask. 

“As a person who buried 3 family members from COVID, Senator and chairwoman Gonzales takes this very seriously, as she should. If Sonnenberg doesn’t want to wear a mask, he has the option to participate remotely, not put people at risk.” 

Gonzales did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for Senate Republicans countered by sending Colorado Politics images showing Sonnenberg distanced from others in the committee chamber.

“Senator Sonnenberg sat at least 12 feet from the nearest human being before removing his mask, which he put back on each time an individual approached him. To shut down a committee for the sake of shaming a Senator who posed no health risk is ridiculous,” said Sage Naumann, a spokesman for the Senate Republican caucus.

While Gov. Jared Polis last week extended the statewide mask mandate and visitors to the Capitol are required to wear face coverings, lawmakers are under no such obligation. Members of the General Assembly have been asked, but are not required, to wear masks while on the floor and in committee.