Good morning, 

Local governments are starting to institute mask mandates in Texas. How did we get here?

This is today's Texas Minute.

– Brandon Waltens 

Monday, June 22, 2020
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•  When the Chinese coronavirus shutdowns began three months ago, some local governments—such as Harris County, Austin, and Laredo—instituted mask mandates with stiff fines and even jail time threatened for those who didn’t comply.
   

• That was until April 27, when Gov. Greg Abbott signed an order encouraging mask use, but strictly forbidding local governments from issuing any penalties for those who chose not to comply.
   

• Until last week…
   

• On Tuesday, a group of eight mayors wrote to Abbott, imploring him to give them the authority to penalize those who refuse to wear masks.
   

• On Wednesday, Democrat Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff attempted to skirt Abbott’s restriction by signing an executive order requiring businesses to require customers and employees to wear masks. Failure to do so would result in a fine of $1,000 for each incident.
   

• Surprisingly, Abbott approved the policy. “Government cannot require individuals to wear masks,” he said. “However, pursuant to my plan, local governments can require stores and businesses to require masks.”
   

• Since he gave his blessing to Bexar County’s workaround, other counties—such as Dallas, Travis, and Harris—have followed suit.
   

• Almost immediately, Abbott’s mask order garnered loud criticism from state lawmakers:
   

• Abbott’s words make sense coming from the governor of California, not Texas. ENOUGH! We don’t need a king in the governor’s mansion or in city hall. Let Texans decide. No more parenting from Austin. -State Rep. Matt Shaefer (R–Tyler)
   

• This is just another example of government overreach in this unconstitutional COVID shutdown by the Governor. - State Rep. Mike Lang (R–Granbury)
   

• The games being played by our governor are disrespectful to Texans. Our state deserves leadership, and instead, our governor is teaming up with local liberals to suppress hardworking small businesses. -State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R–Arlington)
   

• These restrictions not only take away the private property rights of the business owner but also take away the individual rights of those who wish to do business with them. -State Rep. Valoree Swanson (R–Spring)

What can citizens do? Contact Gov. Greg Abbott’s office as well as your state representative and state senator, and let them know how you feel about Abbott’s mask order.

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