AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement today following the Texas House and Texas Senate’s passage of the conference committee report for Senate Bill 29, Banning Local COVID-19 Mandates, by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury. SB 29 will now be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott:

“In March of 2020, when the entire world was locked down, I was the first person to suggest that Texas could reopen our economy as quickly and safely as possible. Texans proved that I was correct, and our economy roared back stronger than ever.

“However, some local governments in our state took draconian measures to shut down houses of worship, schools, and businesses. SB 29 was a top priority of mine to prevent these harsh measures from ever occurring again in our state.”

SB 29, by Sen. Brian Birdwell, prohibits local governments from imposing mandates on their citizens that are not allowed under state law.