Local officials seeking to exert mask mandates on their constituents are clashing with Governor Greg Abbott in court.
Although Abbott's orders restrict local mask mandates, Houston Mayor Turner announced a face-covering requirement for city employees regardless of vaccination status.
Masks are now optional for senators, staff, and members of the public, but a COVID-19 test is still required for entrance to the Senate Gallery and committee meetings.
The rules the district adopted say "should," not "must." Two trustees and some parents say principals are enforcing an empty protocol.
One of several parents suing Katy ISD over student mask policy was ejected from a public board meeting for not following mask and social distancing protocols.
Despite cries that lifting the statewide mask mandate and lockdown policies was premature, Texas coronavirus cases continue to decline.
After Governor Greg Abbott gave the order to open the state, the TEA said school boards have the power to vote out their mask mandates.
The state and its capital city are at odds once again, this time over the state's mask mandate which expires on Wednesday.
After a year of restrictions, Governor Abbott announced that businesses would be permitted to reopen next Wednesday. The statewide mask mandate will also be lifted.
"The simple truth is that only the legislature is constitutionally authorized to create, amend, or abolish criminal laws,” said Schaefer.
Tarrant County's coronavirus cases have dropped significantly over the last several weeks, but Judge Glen Whitley extended his mask order for another 90 days.
Local leaders say local mandates, not Greg Abbott's executive order GA-29, make businesses require masks. Many of these mandates have expired.
