Special Session? Abbott’s Mask Mandate Draws Scathing Criticism From Lawmakers
“It should not be the sole responsibility of one person to manage all of the issues related to a disaster that has no end in sight.” – State Sen. Charles Perry

By Brandon Waltens | July 6, 2020

https://texasscorecard.com/state/special-session-abbotts-mask-mandate-draws-scathing-criticism-from-lawmakers/

After Gov. Greg Abbott announced a statewide mask mandate ahead of Independence Day weekend, calls from Texas lawmakers for a special session are growing in response to the string of unilateral executive orders coming from the governor’s office over the past several months.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, State Sen. Charles Perry (R–Lubbock) called for a special session of the legislature to prevent “overreach” from executive orders.

“The task of mitigating COVID-19 is a mountain of a task and that responsibility should not fall on one person’s shoulders. The legislative branch should have a more formal role in the state’s response, while staying true to the principles established by a free people,” said Perry. “This is why I urge Governor Abbott to convene a special session to allow the legislature to pass legislation and hold hearings regarding the COVID-19 response. It should not be the sole responsibility of one person to manage all of the issues related to a disaster that has no end in sight.”

State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood) agreed with Perry’s statement, adding, “It is past the time for the Texas legislative body [to] be involved in creating, changing or adding laws to ensure that the liberties guaranteed by the Texas Constitution are protected and that the best possible policies for all Texans are enacted.”

In the Texas House, State Rep. Mike Lang (R–Granbury), who was the first lawmaker to call for a special session, doubled down.

“It’s time for the executive overreach, confusing contradictions, and fear to end,” said Lang in a Facebook post. “Call a Special Session of the 86th Legislature immediately.”

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Other lawmakers have taken aim at the mandate itself.

“We should use common sense in doing our part to slow the spread, but fining people for not wearing a mask isn’t the answer,” said State Rep. Cole Hefner (R–Mt. Pleasant).

State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R–Deer Park), an attorney, offered to represent anyone for free if they are fined for not wearing a mask.

One of the strongest rebukes came from State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R–Bedford), who said on Facebook, “Governor Abbott is a TYRANT and must be removed from office.”

“Liberty is under direct attack and cannot be ignored by Texans anymore. Action to replace this man must begin immediately,” he added.



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I hope they do call a special session! I need to encourage my rep to do so.

Quote: austingirl wrote in post #7

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King Greg's royal mask decree is two weeks old today - the magic 14 days have passed (an absurdly long incubation period for any virus) and yet, and yet, another 10,200+ "new cases" were fabricated today. The numbers will never go down because they count every test and a "case" and every contact as a "case."

Once you take one of those faulty tests, you'll get tested over and over and over until you have two negative tests in a row. The problem is that the overamplification of the sample also finds and registers dead virus fragments and reads positive. That is because there is no gold standard test, one for the actul virus. They are testing for a snippet of RNA.

King Greg says if everyone wears masks, he won't have to lock us in our homes again.

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Gov. Greg Abbott defends mask mandate to "frustrated" delegates at Texas GOP convention
The governor began the state party convention Thursday by addressing head-on the growing discontent with his orders to contain the pandemic.

by Patrick Svitek July 16, 2020

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/07/16/texas-greg-abbott-mask-mandate/

Gov. Greg Abbott delivered a firm defense Thursday of his coronavirus response to delegates at the Texas GOP convention who even he acknowledged have grown agitated with him.

Abbott addressed the discontent head-on as the virtual convention got underway Thursday afternoon, starting with the statewide mask requirement that he issued earlier this month. Since then, several Republican county parties, including in some of the state's biggest red counties, have voted to censure the governor.

“Now I know that many of all you are frustrated — so am I," Abbott said in a video message to the delegates. "I know that many of you do not like the mask requirement — I don’t either. It is the last thing that I wanted to do.

"Actually the next to the last," Abbott added. "The last thing that any of us want is to lock Texas back down again."

Coronavirus has surged in recent weeks across the state, and Abbott sought to impress upon the delegates how dire the situation has become.

"Each day the facts get worse," he said. "If we don't slow this disease quickly, our hospitals will get overrun, and I fear it will even inflict some of the people that I'm talking to right now."

In addition to criticism of his mask order, Abbott has faced growing resistance from within his own party to his use of executive power in general. Abbott also tackled that critique in his address to delegates.

"Many of you say my orders are unconstitutional," said Abbott, who was the attorney general before becoming governor in 2014. "But remember: I was the attorney general who fought for your First Amendment, your Second Amendment and your 10th Amendment rights at the United States Supreme Court."


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Good question, @Right_in_Virginia .... I personally do not know....