Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is still thinking about those pesky protesters, and he wants their masks off.
The Baltimore native has asked the state senate for a number of right-wing goodies in his list of priorities for the upcoming state legislative session, including laws aimed at stopping protesters from covering their faces, removing people from voter rolls (natch), and lowering the threshold for runoff elections, the Texas Tribune reports.
Despite the fact that Texas lawmakers already banned diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at public universities, Patrick is still fully in his feels about the tolerance and acceptance he’s seeing. He wants lawmakers to “examine programs and certificates” at higher education institutions that still have DEI policies, and then “expose” them as “damaging and not aligned with state workforce demands,” according to the Tribune.
Patrick also wants politicians coming back to the Capitol in January to focus on removing noncitizens from voter rolls and preventing them from registering to vote, something that already almost never happens. As for banning masks on protestors, the ACLU says that states have been dusting off obscure anti-mask laws to go after people who wear face coverings while protesting Israel’s war in Gaza. (Ironically, lots of these laws were passed in the 40s and 50s to target Ku Klux Klan rallies.)
Interestingly, there’s a section in Patrick’s directives for Senate committees called “Public Trust in Government,” which aims to “examine the current state of accountability, ethics, and transparency in local government.” Despite those lofty words, Patrick has not prioritized getting rid of the pervasive sexual harassment in the state senate, even though some senators have asked him to. A Texas Monthly investigation in July exposed new allegations involving sitting senators on both sides of the aisle — and how much power Patrick has, but hasn’t invoked, to stop it.
We’re just grateful Patrick hasn’t proposed any new laws against immigrants eating pet cats. But, hey, there’s still a few months to go before the new legislative session!
Read more at the Texas Tribune.
