EducationJudicialCourt Rules Against State’s Attempt to Block San Antonio ISD Vaccine Mandate
Isaiah MitchellAugust 1, 2022
SAISD defended its vaccine mandate in court against the State of Texas, but cannot enforce it for the time being.
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Civil SocietyJudicialAppellate Court Says Abbott’s Mask Mandate Ban Exceeds Authority, Partially Relying on Abbott’s Own Writings
Isaiah MitchellNovember 12, 2021
Citing an opinion Abbott wrote as a justice in 1997, the Fourth Court of Appeals called his mask mandate ban an excess of his authority.
Civil SocietyEducationJudicialTexas Supreme Court Sides With Abbott to Pause Bexar County Mask Mandates
Isaiah MitchellAugust 30, 2021
“This case, and others like it, are not about whether people should wear masks or whether the government should make them do it."
87th LegislatureState HouseState SenateTexas Legislative Session Ends Without Major Reform to Governor’s Emergency Powers
Daniel FriendJune 2, 2021
Though piecemeal legislation was approved to address certain aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas, no significant checks on the executive branch were created.
87th LegislatureState HouseState SenateDiffering Approaches to Texas Disaster Act Reform Reach Crossroads in Senate Replacement of House Version
Daniel FriendMay 21, 2021
Though a measure to require legislative approval for major disaster declaration renewals died in the House, it was revived in the Senate as a substitute for House Bill 3.
87th LegislatureState HouseState SenateTexas GOP Priority Legislation Lingers With One Month Left in Session
Daniel FriendMay 3, 2021
With only until the end of the month for lawmakers to pass bills, here’s where the progress on the Texas GOP’s legislative priorities currently stands.
87th LegislatureState SenateDisaster Act Reform Package Approved by Texas Senate, Moves to House
Daniel FriendApril 13, 2021
A constitutional amendment to reform the Texas Disaster Act to require more legislative oversight was passed by the Senate in a 30 to 1 vote.
JudicialStatewide NewsTexas Supreme Court Delivers Dallas Salon Owner Shelley Luther a Delayed Victory
Brad JohnsonApril 9, 2021
Luther will officially avoid having to serve her remaining five-day jail sentence and payment of a $7,000 fine.
Statewide NewsA Timeline of Texas’ COVID-19 Policies One Year After ‘15 Days to Slow the Spread’
Daniel FriendMarch 31, 2021
All counties in Texas have been under a declared disaster for over a year. Here’s a look back at the policies implemented under the designation in comparison with the data.
87th LegislatureState HouseRevised Pandemic Disaster Act Heard by House Committee After Outcry From Conservatives
Daniel FriendMarch 12, 2021
The hearing examined a committee substitute of the bill, which would create a 10-person “Legislative Oversight Committee” that could end a pandemic disaster declaration.
87th LegislatureState SenateExpansion of Legislative Checks on Governor During Disasters Gets Bipartisan Support in Texas Senate
Daniel FriendMarch 5, 2021
Authored by nearly half of the Texas Senate, a proposed constitutional amendment would require legislative approval for extending disaster declarations.
87th LegislatureStatewide NewsThe Texas Pandemic Response Act: The Proposal to Codify Abbott’s COVID-19 Approach
Daniel FriendMarch 3, 2021
Rep. Burrows filed a bill to create new guidelines for a pandemic response that solidifies the approach Gov. Abbott took to the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting criticism from some conservatives. Here’s a look at the debate and what’s inside.