EIGHT PROPOSED AMENDMENTS ON NOVEMBER BALLOT
The order has been drawn for eight proposed amendments to the much-amended Texas Constitution that will appear on the November 2 ballot.
The proposed amendments were approved by at least two thirds of both houses of the state Legislature and include:
• Allowing families to designate an “essential caregiver” to have access to loved ones in nursing homes and other long-term facilities. The issue came up when visitors were banned from such facilities during the pandemic.
• Banning all government entities — state, cities, counties, etc. — from limiting or preventing religious services, also an issue that arose during the pandemic.
• Providing property tax exemptions to spouses of soldiers killed in the line of duty.
• Barring attorneys whose law license has previously been suspended or revoked from serving as judges, and requiring district judges to be practicing lawyers for at least eight years. The minimum required now is four years.
• Allowing counties to issue bonds to finance transportation or other infrastructure projects in blighted or unproductive areas.
• Allowing the state’s professional rodeo associations to raise money through raffles, as other charities can do.
• Authorizing the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, which investigates complaints against judges, to also oversee the conduct of judicial candidates.
• Allowing school taxes to continue to be reduced for those 55 and older upon the death of a spouse with a disability.
First West Nile case
The state’s first case of illness caused by West Nile virus this year was reported in Dallas County, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The virus is transmitted through bites from infected mosquitoes.
While most people ex posed to West Nile don’t get sick, about 20 percent develop symptoms such as headache, fever, joint and muscle aches, nausea and fatigue.
DSHS urges Texans venturing outdoors to wear long sleeves and pants and apply insect repellent. The agency also recommends removing standing water from tires, toys, buckets and other items.
Over the past five years, the state has had 805 cases of West Nile virus and 63 deaths.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress.com.