During the 2020 COVID pandemic, Governor Greg Abbott was criticized by members of both parties — by the Democrats for inadequate restrictions and by the Republicans (his own party) for having too many restrictions. In response, a constitutional amendment was proposed in the 2021 Texas legislative session that would limit the powers of the governor in a pandemic or other crisis. What restrictions on the governor’s powers were proposed? What were the arguments for and against these restrictions? What happened to this proposal during the regular session? Do you believe that the governor exceeded his authority during the pandemic or do you believe the governor’s actions did not go far enough?
