Good morning, 

With the 2021 legislative session on the horizon, many citizens are wondering if they will even be allowed to enter the Capitol.

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Brandon Waltens 

Monday, November 16, 2020
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• It’s been over seven months since the doors to the Texas State Capitol were shut to the public in March, as part of the state’s response to the Chinese coronavirus.
   

• But in just two months, the state legislature will return on January 12, 2021, and the doors to the pink building are still closed, with no announced plan of when or how they will reopen.
   

• Some preparations have been made, though, as plexiglass walls and dividers have been installed in committee meeting rooms. Several interim hearings have even taken place, but only with invited video testimony or submitted written testimony.

• An anonymous survey of legislators conducted over the summer revealed a majority of lawmakers were in favor of restricting access to the Capitol during the upcoming legislative session.
   

• According to the survey, which was administered by the Texas House Administration Committee, 87 percent of lawmakers favored mandatory temperature checks on entry, 83 percent favored requiring face masks, and more than 60 percent opposed permitting outside groups to reserve space for events.
   

• Additionally, 80 percent supported suspending public tours, and 60 percent supported curtailing them altogether. A razor-thin majority favored allowing visitor groups in the House gallery during the session, but a strong majority believed recognizing guests from the floor should be limited. 
   

• Of course, 76 percent favored keeping the members’ lounge open for business, serving food and drinks, with one anonymous respondent calling it “absolutely necessary.”

• Just last week, State Rep. Dade Phelan (R–Beaumont), the current front-runner for Speaker of the House, announced a "bipartisan workgroup to review and make recommendations on legislative operations during the COVID-19 pandemic."
   

• The committee will be chaired by Republican State Rep. Tom Oliverson (Cypress), with Democrat State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (Houston) serving as vice chair. 
   

• Despite Republicans holding their 83-67 majority in the chamber, the committee consists of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats.
   

• With the legislative session on the horizon, now is the time for citizens who want the Capitol opened up to the public to contact their state lawmakers.

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