Reps. Sheryl Cole (D-Austin), Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood), and Armando Walle (D-Houston) voted against canceling the rules that required face coverings.
House Resolution (HR) 333 would end Rule 4, Section 8A and Rule 5, Section 19A in the Texas House Rules, which were passed by the chamber at the beginning of the 87th legislature.
Rule 4 mandates face coverings in committee hearings unless a person is testifying from the podium. Committee members who are separated by plexiglass and have not been required to wear masks.
Rule 5 requires masks in the House chamber with limited exceptions, including for the speaker while he is presiding over the chamber and for members who are speaking from the front or back microphones.
In late March, the committee had considered the possibility of rescinding the mandates but chose to postpone their decision at the recommendation of the University of Texas (UT) System’s chief medical officer, David Lakey.
Former state Rep. John Zerwas (R-Richmond), a physician who is now the UT System’s executive vice chancellor for health affairs, also gave testimony in support of the concept of wearing masks to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The chamber’s sergeant at arms has been strictly enforcing the mask requirement for visitors in the House gallery, though some state representatives on the floor have been regularly disregarding the requirement.
The statewide requirement to wear a face covering and capacity restrictions on businesses ended on March 10. In the weeks that followed, coronavirus hospitalizations remained on a downward trajectory.
HR 333 now awaits a final decision by the full Texas House.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated an incorrect resolution number.
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Hayden Sparks
Hayden Sparks is a senior reporter for The Texan and a lifelong resident of the Lone Star State. He has coached competitive speech and debate and has been involved in politics since a young age. One of Hayden's favorite quotes is by Sam Houston: "Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may."
