Texas Capitol reopens
Visitors can once more enter building after 10-month closure as lawmakers prepare for newl egislative session nextweek
Visitors and legislative staff returned to the Texas Capitol on Monday, 10 months after the building was shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The reopening comes as lawmakers prepare for a new legislative session, set to begin on Jan. 12.
“It’s such a streak of luck,” said Claudia Sauceda, who was in town from Houston with her son and didn’t realize the Capitol had been closed. “I think it’s gorgeous,” she said, masked and seated under the building’s large, regal rotunda.
Visitors were not required to test negative for COVID-19 before entering the building, though rapid tests were available for free in a tent outside. Dozens of staffers had already been tested by the early afternoon.
Legislators, meanwhile, were working behind the scenes to prepare for hundreds of Texans to enter the building next week on the first day of session.
“The Texas Capitol is now open,” Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted. “Work begins in earnest next week.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the president of the Texas Senate, announced a series of safety measures on Monday in advance of opening day. Senators, staffers and members of the media must be tested before entering the Capitol, and most Senate offices will be open only for appointments.
The biennial opening day ceremony will also be shorter than usual and have a smaller crowd. Senators will be allowed one family member at their desks, as well as three tickets for seats in the Senate Gallery.
“At a time when the U.S. Capitol and many state capitol buildings are closed to the public, these protocols are designed to ensure the Texas Capitol can be open to the public,” Patrick said in a memo. “We will fight the spread of COVID-19 by doing all we can to protect the public who visit the capitol as well as employees, staff and the senators.”
The protocol announcement follows that of the Texas House of Representatives last month. State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-FortWorth, chair of the administration committee, sent guidance to members on Dec. 14 outlining similar precautions — a shortened opening day ceremony with fewer attendees, mandatory testing and new air filters to help kill the virus.
While Geren has said the House will require masks to enter the chamber, Patrick’s memo did not mention such a mandate. A spokesman for the lieutenant governor did not respond to a request for comment seeking clarification.
Senators will vote nextweek on overall safety protocols to implement during the first 60 days of the legislative session, Patrick wrote.