Senate votes to bar any future COVID19 mask vaccine mandates in Texas

AUSTIN – Local Texas governments and public schools wouldn’t be able to require face masks, vaccinations or business closures to fight COVID-19 under a bill the GOP-led Senate approved Monday. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott named such policy a priority. In a statement, Patrick said the measures will prevent local governments from ever again taking “extreme measures to shut down businesses, schools and houses of worship.” The legislation, which also applies to the state, passed 20-11 largely along party lines with no debate. It now heads to the House. Coronavirus restrictions sparked a political backlash largely within…