Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the bill in April banning state and local mask mandates, but now he says cases are up and children under 12 are vulnerable because they can't get vaccinated.

"My own personal view that this is too extreme, it was too broad and did not grandfather in those young people who are currently under hormone treatment," he said, before apologizing.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, called the Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, or SAFE Act, "a vast government overreach." The legislature could override the veto with a simple majority.