3/16 New White House Guidelines Announced – “15 Days to Slow the Spread”
This afternoon, President Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force issued new guidelines to help protect Americans during the global Coronavirus outbreak. Guidelines include but are not limited to: work or engage in schooling from home whenever possible; avoid social gatherings; avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts; avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips and social visits; and avoid social gatherings in group of more than 10 people.
3/16 Abbott Allows Virtual and Telephonic Open Meetings
Governor Greg Abbott today acted to maintain government transparency and continued government operations while reducing face-to-face contact for government open meetings. As Texas works to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the Governor granted the Office of the Attorney General’s request for suspension of certain open-meeting statutes. This temporary suspension will allow for telephonic or videoconference meetings of governmental bodies that are accessible to the public in an effort to reduce in-person meetings that assemble large groups of people. In accordance with section 418.016 of the Texas Government Code, Governor Abbott has suspended various provisions that require government officials and members of the public to be physically present at a specified meeting location.
