Texas
Texas hits 1,000 days under Greg Abbott’s public health disaster as a new COVID-19 wave and legislative session loom
:focal(0x0:6720x4480)/static.texastribune.org/media/files/b98aa6eee5e166950865eeb015205c31/0313%20Abbott%20Statewide%20Emergency%20EG%20TT%2044.jpg "Texas hits 1,000 days under Greg Abbott’s public health disaster as a new COVID-19 wave and legislative session loom")
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Thursday marks 1,000 days that Texans have been dwelling beneath Gov. Greg Abbott’s public well being catastrophe proclamation — an period of unprecedented gubernatorial authority for the state’s chief government, triggered by the March 2020 scramble to include the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to kill Texans day by day.
Your complete nation stays beneath a federal public well being emergency no less than by way of the winter season, which specialists say may deliver one other wave of infections as households collect indoors for the vacations, immunity dips or virus variants sidestep older vaccines.
However after greater than 92,000 deaths and eight million confirmed COVID-19 instances in Texas within the 32 months because the declaration was made, the state stays considered one of lower than a dozen nonetheless beneath a statewide declared catastrophe or public well being emergency.
The proclamations give government branches extra energy to shortly reply to catastrophe conditions which might be too pressing to attend for the same old bureaucratic wheels to grind into motion.
In Texas, the catastrophe declaration offers Abbott’s government orders — usually nonbinding — the load of legislation.
Utilizing them, he has the flexibility to droop any regulatory statute or state company rule with out legislative approval, switch cash between businesses with out legislative oversight, commandeer non-public property and use state and native authorities sources, evacuate populations and prohibit the motion of the individuals, amongst different issues.
In most states the place the proclamations are nonetheless energetic, together with Texas, Colorado, Illinois and Delaware, they’re set to run out in December except state leaders renew them.
That’s the choice confronted by Abbott on Dec. 18, when his present 30-day order expires and he should both let it lapse or renew it till mid-January — every week after the beginning of the Legislature, for which no less than one invoice has already been filed to weaken the governor’s powers throughout disasters.
The declaration was first made on March 13, 2020, and has been renewed 32 instances since.
“Declaring a state of catastrophe will facilitate and expedite the use and deployment of sources to boost preparedness and response,” the proclamation learn.
On the time, 80 Texans had confirmed or suspected instances of COVID-19. No deaths had been reported but.
Beneath the general public well being catastrophe order, Abbott has made a number of unilateral choices in response to the pandemic.
He prolonged the size of early voting in 2020 to assist skinny out Election Day crowds. He enacted masks mandates; directed state businesses to supply work-from-home choices to workers; closed bars, gyms, nail salons and different companies throughout one of many early surges; banned elective surgical procedures; restricted long-term care visits; and capped venue occupancy till later eradicating these limits and banning cities from enacting them.
In his complete tenure as governor, Abbott has issued 42 government orders. Most of them — 35 to this point — are COVID-related and carry the load of legislation. Solely seven of them, none of which had been binding, got here within the 4 years earlier than the pandemic hit.
His most enduring actions beneath the catastrophe declaration are a ban on cities and counties from enacting masks ordinances, vaccine mandates and occupancy restrictions — a provision that appears standard with most Texas Republican lawmakers and one of many principal causes Abbott’s workplace says he retains renewing the catastrophe declaration.
The landslide of government orders was certainly a present of energy, nevertheless it was additionally reflective of the data void surrounding the pandemic as authorities tried to match coverage to the ebb and move of the virus — its unfold, what was identified about it, and the ever-changing financial and social panorama that emerged due to it, stated Randall Erben, a legislation professor on the College of Texas at Austin and a former assistant secretary of state who served as legislative director for Abbott throughout his first 12 months as governor.
“We’ve a playbook for hurricanes,” Erben stated. “With COVID, there was no playbook. … And because the surges got here and went, and the general public well being menace elevated and waned, these orders form of mirrored that.”
Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze stated in an e mail Wednesday that ending the orders “would enable native governments to as soon as once more implement occupancy limits, masks mandates and vaccine mandates.”
“Gov. Abbott won’t let any authorities trample Texans’ proper to decide on for themselves or their youngsters whether or not they’ll put on masks, open their companies or get vaccinated,” she stated.
Erben stated he doesn’t see how Abbott’s skill to manipulate or to answer the pandemic would profit from ending the proclamation — and lawmakers don’t appear notably motivated to battle with Abbott over it.
Texas is beneath 5 catastrophe declarations: the COVID-19 catastrophe, in addition to declarations triggered by the drought, the college capturing in Uvalde, the scenario on the Texas-Mexico border and wildfires.
If the Texas Legislature had an issue with catastrophe declarations and Abbott’s habits beneath them, it may have rebuked him with laws in 2021 that might have curtailed his powers in disasters, or it may have required legislative motion to declare a catastrophe and even ended the proclamation.
No such payments made it to his desk.
Within the Texas Catastrophe Act of 1975, handed by a Democratic majority within the Home and Senate and signed by a Democratic governor, the catastrophe declaration was designed in order that the chief government may take motion “extra expeditiously, effectively and successfully on a unilateral foundation than the Legislature may even when it had been in session,” Erben stated.
“Will the Legislature come again in and attempt to restrict the powers of the governor throughout a catastrophe, or will they attempt to terminate the catastrophe? I doubt it,” Erben stated. “It’s a Republican Legislature, they typically agree with many of the issues the governor has accomplished throughout this, no less than the present state of the orders [banning mask and vaccine mandates]. And even when they did, what I feel would occur is that Abbott would simply veto the laws, reissue the proclamation.”
Some Abbott critics say the time has come, nonetheless, for the declaration to die, that the pandemic not is taken into account an emergency on condition that charges have dropped and stayed low in latest months — and that Abbott is just hanging on to his outsized government authority for so long as he can.
Michael Quinn Sullivan, a conservative and frequent critic of Abbott’s use of the catastrophe declaration, referred to as the explanations given behind the continuance of the declaration “nonsensical” and chided “defenders of the established order” in a Twitter thread on Wednesday.
“He [Abbott] doesn’t clarify why he has continued in 30-day increments to declare an emergency nobody sees right here, or in 39 different states, or what would set off an ‘finish’ to the emergency he perceives,” wrote Sullivan, who publishes the conservative Texas Scorecard.
Jerry Patterson, a Republican former Texas state senator and common land commissioner, retorted, again on Twitter: “I ask once more, identify one restriction on Texan’s liberty, only one, at present in place by Abbott.”
A number of states have governors endowed with extra government authority than in Texas, a few of them on par with what Abbott is allowed to do solely beneath a catastrophe declaration.
Whereas Abbott is restricted, for instance, in what he can do with Texas cash with out legislative oversight beneath regular circumstances, he can shift billions of {dollars} with out public hearings beneath a catastrophe order. In the meantime, the governor of West Virginia has broad constitutional budgeting authority, and the governor of Illinois can add amendments into finances payments.
In Texas, Abbott doesn’t have the constitutional authority to inform businesses what to do when there’s no catastrophe declaration — though their governing boards are stuffed along with his appointments, so he does have sturdy affect. However the New Jersey governor holds that state’s solely statewide elected workplace and so has monumental energy over the funding, insurance policies and management of state businesses such because the legal professional common and the state comptroller.
A winter COVID-19 wave, as scientists predict might be on the way in which, may necessitate — or no less than make a robust case for — extending the catastrophe to permit Abbott to proceed making fast choices as wanted if the disaster elevates prefer it did final winter, stated Mark P. Jones, a political science fellow at Rice College in Houston.
Confirmed instances and hospitalizations in Texas for COVID-19 are climbing once more after a lull over the summer time, growing statewide from about 1,000 Texans hospitalized with COVID-19 one month in the past to about 1,600 on Wednesday, in accordance with the Texas Division of State Well being Providers.
If the numbers proceed to climb, persevering with the catastrophe declaration would seemingly be a good simpler promote, providing some cowl from those that say Abbott is utilizing it solely to bolster the traditionally weak powers of the governor’s workplace, Jones stated.
However it’s not all about politics, both. The declaration has additionally had some social advantages, permitting the governor and the Texas Well being and Human Providers Fee to increase emergency meals help for needy households with out extra oversight, amongst different actions, advocates say.
These funds, administered by way of the Supplemental Vitamin Help Program, had been bolstered in the course of the pandemic beneath motion made potential by the catastrophe declaration, “and we’re very grateful for it,” stated Rachel Cooper, director of well being and meals justice at Each Texan, a progressive assume tank.
“If the state declaration ends, there would have to be some type of substitute declaration like a narrower public well being emergency to maintain the additional SNAP funds going to households,” Cooper stated.
Disclosure: Each Texan, Rice College and the College of Texas at Austin have been monetary supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partly by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no position within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full listing of them right here.
The Texas Longhorns had a great weekend in the College Football Playoffs and the NFL. Multiple former players scored touchdowns, sacks and even made interesting kicking history.
Here are some of the top performances for former Longhorns in the NFL:
Jones tried his best for Denver against the Los Angeles Chargers having his third game of the season with ten tackles (seven solo). He even added his tenth pass deflection of the year, the first time he has had 10+ pass deflections in his five-year NFL career.
The Broncos however dropped to 9-6, losing 34-27.
The other Longhorn in the Broncos secondary also had a good game to a lesser extent. Locke got six tackles (two solo) which was third on the team. The Broncos next play the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 28th.
Now going to the winning side of Thursday Night Football, Dicker knocked down both of his field goal attempts, including a rare fair catch free kick from 57 yards out to cut the Chargers’ deficit to 21-13.
A rare fair catch free kick results in a Cameron Dicker 57-yard FG for the @Chargers 🤯
It’s the first free kick FG since 1976! pic.twitter.com/yb0cyPuKnR
— NFL (@NFL) December 20, 2024
That kick was his second longest of the season, Dicker also knocked down a 37-yarder earlier in the second quarter as well and knocked both of his extra-pointers. The Chargers are now 9-6 this season.
Worthy has seen his production increase for the Chiefs in recent weeks. And on Sunday against the Houston Texans, Worthy had a career-high seven receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown came in the third quarter to give the Chiefs a 24-16 lead. Kansas City went on to hold on 27-19 to continue to a league-best 14-1 record.
That’s Worthy’s fifth touchdown of the season which ties him for first on Kansas City in receiving touchdowns with Noah Gray.
Tucker has struggled a tiny bit in recent weeks but he bounced back strongly in the 34-17 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tucker tried and succeeded with a 51-yarder late in the second quarter to extend the lead 17-7, and then he hit a 23-yarder to put the game to rest in the fourth and make it 34-17.
Tucker also knocked his four extra point attempts as the Ravens won a crucial game, and moved to 10-5.
The Falcons dominated on all cylinders with new QB Michael Penix against the New York Giants, and Bijan Robinson helped a lot with it.
He rushed for 94 yards on 22 attempts, scoring two touchdowns, one in the second and one in the third. Robinson is now at 11 touchdowns this season for the Falcons as they win 34-7 and improve to 8-7.
The Browns struggled, losing 24-6 to the Cincinnati Bengals. But Hicks led the team in tackles with nine (seven solo).
But the Browns move to 3-12 after losing their fourth straight.
On the other sideline, Ossai had his best game of the season, having a season-high in tackles with five (four solo) and also getting his fourth sack of the season.
Ossai capped off his dominant performance with his first forced fumble as well as the Bengals win their third straight, and go to 7-8.
Monday Night Football between the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints will only have one former Longhorn with Saints linebacker Jaylan Ford, has only four tackles all season for them.
That game will start at 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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After a 103-57 win over South Dakota State on Sunday, the Texas Longhorns will head into their holiday break on a high note.
Sunday’s lopsided win at Moody Center came five days after Texas beat La Salle by a 111-49 score. Texas hadn’t scored 100 points in consecutive games since it did so against McNeese State and UTSA in November 2017.
Texas never trailed on Sunday, and freshmen Jordan Lee and Justice Carlton served as first-half catalysts for the No. 6 team in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll. Lee started and scored 10 first-quarter points while Carlton came off the bench to score 17 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting. Combined, Lee and Carlton had 29 points in the first half. South Dakota State’s entire team had 26.
While Texas built its 53-26 lead in the first half, eight of the nine Longhorns who played scored. The surprising exception was All-American Madison Booker, who distributed three assists and grabbed three rebounds but missed her three shots.
A perennial NCAA tournament qualifier that had split its prior games against ranked Creighton and Duke teams, South Dakota State (10-3) never cut into its 27-point halftime deficit in the second half.
Here are three observations from Sunday’s 46-point rout:
Mwenentanda remains patient with her process
Carlton finished with 19 points and nine rebounds while senior forward Taylor Jones had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Lee and senior guard Rori Harmon respectively added 14 and 13 points for a Texas team that shot 53.9% from the field. Booker was limited to nine points, but Harmon pointed out after the game that Booker’s +/- of 41 was the best among the Longhorns.
Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda was the fifth Longhorn to record a double-digit scoring total. Over 11 minutes, Mwenentanda scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Mwenentanda grew up in South Dakota and was that state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022. The school in Sioux Falls where she won a state championship is about an hour drive from South Dakota State’s campus. Mwenentanda was recruited by the Jackrabbits but she said that she was attracted to what Texas could offer her athletically and academically.
Since arriving on campus, Mwenentanda has shown glimpses of her potential since arriving at Texas, but she has mainly been a role player for the Longhorns. Sunday was the 11th time that she scored at least 10 points in a game. Just twice in her career has she played more than 25 minutes.
Mwenentanda sees herself as a Swiss Army Knife on the Texas roster. She’s listed as a 6-foot-2 guard on the team’s roster, but Vic Schaefer has mainly used her as a “4” player this season. Mwenentanda played some in the paint last season, but she got more playing time as a guard. Training more with the post players this offseason has helped her adjust to that role this season.
“I physically prepared for it, I mentally prepared for it. I’m enjoying it,” Mwenentanda said.
Schaefer praised the play of Mwenentanda in his postgame press conference on Sunday. Earlier in the week, Mwenentanda said that she was staying patient with her process.
“Everybody’s process is different. I feel like comparing myself to other people’s process would be one reason to give up,” Mwenentanda said. “Everybody on this team are great players, are great women so even though this process is a little bit different for me, it’s not something I look at negatively because I know everybody’s working hard and everybody’s pitching in.”
Status for sidelined Laila Phelia remains unclear
Texas senior Laila Phelia missed her third straight game on Sunday. Phelia suffered a detached retina during the offseason. Texas has not announced a timeline for her return, but Schaefer has said the program will soon release an update.
The leading scorer at Michigan last season, Phelia has played in just eight of the Longhorns’ 13 games. She is averaging 6.1 points and 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 40.5% from the field.
What’s next for Texas? Rest and one final tune-up
Next on the schedule for Texas is a home game against UTRGV (6-6) on Dec. 29. That will be the Longhorns’ final game until their Southeastern Conference debut at Oklahoma on Jan. 2, 2025.
But first, the Longhorns will get some rest. Mwenentanda won’t be able to fly back to South Dakota until Monday morning, but the rest of the Longhorns headed home after Sunday’s win. The Longhorns will return to practice on Dec. 27.
How will the Longhorns spend their break? The three players who attended Sunday’s postgame press conference – Carlton, Harmon and Mwenentanda – said they’d take some time off, but they added that they’ll get some workouts in with family and hometown trainers.
As for Schaefer? He’ll do some work over the break, but he won’t be in his office.
“I’m going to be standing in about knee-deep water in the morning calling a duck and having my son (Logan) with me and my dog, my hunting dog, not my show dog. We’ll enjoy some time together in the morning and then we’ll wet a line and fish in the afternoon,” Schaefer said. “I’ll probably sit in my bow stand a couple of nights with my computer in my lap and watch film. I don’t really care if I see anything or not, but I usually see a lot. I get more work done sitting in a bow stand in a bow blind than I do a lot of times sitting at my desk.
“I’ll just enjoy time with family. I’m really blessed with Holly and Logan and Blair here and we’re all together at Christmas, and it’s just a special time for us. We really embrace the Christmas season.”
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Former Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Dayon Hayes is set to continue his collegiate career at Texas A&M after transferring following a season-ending injury. Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defender, began his journey at Pitt, where he played from 2020 to 2023, accumulating 13 sacks and 80 tackles over four seasons.
At Pitt, Hayes showcased his potential in his sophomore and junior years, logging around 500 combined snaps and producing 30 pressures. His breakout came in 2023 when he amassed 44 pressures and a 13% pass rush win rate, ranking 12th in the ACC. Hayes also demonstrated solid run defense, posting an average tackle depth of 1.6 yards and recording 10.5 stops for loss. His ability to set the edge and prevent runners from escaping outside made him a critical piece of Pitt’s defense.
Following his success at Pitt, Hayes transferred to Colorado as a highly sought-after addition to Deion Sanders’ revamped Buffaloes roster. He made an immediate impact, registering two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in Colorado’s first three games. However, his promising start was cut short by a knee injury in the fourth game, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
Deion Sanders says he won’t attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay
Despite the setback, Hayes’ strong early performance likely earned him a medical redshirt, granting him another year of eligibility. With his final collegiate season on the horizon, Hayes opted to join Texas A&M, bringing his pass-rushing skills to the SEC. The Aggies, coming off an eight-win season, are set to face USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. Hayes’ ability to pressure quarterbacks and defend the run should bolster Texas A&M’s defensive front, adding experience and depth to their edge rotation for the 2024 season.
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