March 11, 2021      5:05 PM

Texas House State Affairs hearing on HB 3 sets the stage for showdown on executive powers

Burrows holds his own as he faces questions about intention and constitutionality; the new version creates a pandemic oversight committee and drops language that some had slammed as a backdoor school voucher

Calendars Chairman Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) laid out House Bill 3, known as Texas Pandemic Response Act, today before State Affairs, the first step toward a showdown in the Texas House on executive powers during a pandemic.

Burrows said he was presenting a committee substitute that notably removed a provision allowing private educational institutions to receive state funds. The language was opposed by pro-public education advocacy groups. The bill would also disperse power by creating an oversight committee rather than just allowing the governor to call all the shots.

But the intent of the bill, Burrows said, remained the same.

By James Russell

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