DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – At the beginning of the pandemic, churches limited services to virtual worship. Large personal meetings did not take place.
Now, Proposal 3 could prevent this from ever happening again in Texas.
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During the most recent legislative term, attorney Jeremy Dys of the First Liberty Institute testified about the impact of the pandemic on the places of worship he represents.
“State and local officials from across the country have hindered the rights of these places of worship across the country to serve their mission at a critical time in the pandemic,” he said. “There were churches in North Texas that couldn’t even distribute food to people who were hungry during the pandemic because local officials said it could be causing a problem.”
If approved, Prop. 3 would prevent state or local governments from banning or restricting religious services, even during a public health emergency.
“I would be very concerned about something that has no exceptions or limitations in these environments,” said Dr. Phillip Huang, Dallas County Health Director.
Huang said when it comes to the pandemic there is no telling what the future will bring and warns that places of worship can be super-spreader events.
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“It may be necessary to put some restrictions in place to prevent the spread of communicable diseases,” he said.
Proposal 6 is also on the ballot paper.
If approved, nursing homes can designate a person who cannot be denied a personal visit to their loved one even during a public health emergency.
“This person who could be named could have a communicable disease, be contagious, so I think it’s very worrying,” said Huang.
Proponents say this type of isolation can take a devastating toll on a person’s mental and physical health and say this is something no person should experience.
Voters will also consider the following suggestions:
• Proposal 1 would add rodeos to the list of professional sporting events that can hold prize draws to raise money for charity.
• Proposal 2 would enable the counties to meet the transport needs in ailing or underdeveloped areas by using the increasing real estate values - caused by the road projects – to pay off the transport debts.
• Proposal 4 would change the eligibility requirements to serve in the Texas Supreme Court, the Criminal Court of Appeals, and the Intermediate Appeals Courts – and clarify that candidates must have been a practicing lawyer or judge in Texas for at least 10 years under a license that failed was revoked or suspended.
The change would also require State District Court judges to serve as an attorney or judge in Texas for eight years, even under a legal license that has not been revoked or suspended.
• Proposal 5 would allow the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, which investigates at all levels and takes disciplinary action against judges, to also accept complaints against candidate judges.
• Proposal 7 would allow surviving spouses 55 or older to continue to be exempt from property tax when their disabled spouse dies.
• Proposal 8 would extend the property tax benefits already available to the spouse of a soldier killed in action to the spouse of soldiers who were killed on duty but not in combat.
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Erin Jones contributed to this report.
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