Millard House II says HISD has not taken anyone to court over mask mandates and doesn’t plan to. He is a guest on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall and says his decision to require masks for HISD students and staff was not meant to make waves. “This was not a decision that we wanted to see as a controversial decision or an opportunity to push back against government officials,” he said. “That’s not what this was about. This was about keeping children safe.”
Navigating the legal landscape of masks mandates and quorum busting
From mask mandates to the Democratic legislators who left the state to break quorum in the special legislative session, the courts are playing an active role. Both decisions are likely to be ultimately decided by the all GOP Texas Supreme Court. Kellen Zale is Associate Professor at UH Law Center and says the court should be able to decide the mask mandate without political bias. “They will be looking at the Texas disaster act and will be looking at that statutory language and whether it does give the governor the power he purports it gives him,” she said, “or whether he has overstepped and the language is not as broad as he thought.” The Texas Supreme Court has already made a ruling that KPRC2 Legal Analyst Brian Wice says indicates the Democrats will be forced back to Austin. “The legislature has the inherent authority to make its representatives come to work,” Wice said about his interpretation of the courts recent rulings. “Failing that, the sergeant at arms has the right in Texas and 41 other states to order their arrest to bring them to the chamber to do their jobs.”
Masks, Flood Mitigation & Fighting Crime in Harris County
When the Harris County Commissioner’s Court voted 3-2 to take Governor Greg Abbott to court over his Executive Order against mask mandates, Precinct Three Commissioner Tom Ramsey was not among the yes votes. “People have a great understanding about what their issues are and what they can be around and not be around,” he said. “I don’t think the need me telling them what they should do whether it’s masks or vaccinations.” The self proclaimed “most optimistic person in Harris County” says despite being on the losing side of dozens of 3-2 votes on the court he has not plans to stop pushing for his constituents.
More Information:
Millard House II, HISD Superintendent
·Website: https://www.houstonisd.org/superintendent
Brian Wice, KPRC2 Legal Analyst
·Website: https://www.click2houston.com/team/brianwice/
Kellen Zale, Associate Professor, UH Law Center
·Website: https://www.law.uh.edu/faculty/main.asp?PID=4916
Tom Ramsey, Commissioner, Precinct Three, Harris County Commissioners Court
· Website: https://www.pct3.com/