Mandate Resistant
Texas has gotten a reputation for passing some very controversial laws in the past year. First came the bill that banned school districts from placing mask mandates on schools for the 2021-22 school year, which had support but a lot more criticism as the Delta variant was running wild at the time. Next was the bill that virtually banned abortions in Texas, which led to national outrage and a temporary repeal, until it got appealed once again the next day. Then, they passed a voting law that was very similar to Georgia’s bill, and it’s what many consider voter suppression for minorities. This hit the mainstream as Democrats staged a walkout to protest the bill, but it didn’t work. If there’s something about Greg Abbott, though, is that he wasn’t satisfied with that amount of controversy.
On Monday, Abbott passed an executive order banning any private entity from mandating vaccinations for workers, including hospitals. At this point, you could call him the king of banning mandates. Like all the orders, it has support on both sides, but this one is much more complicated. This order goes against the federal mandate of vaccinations for workers or required weekly testing, which was put in place by President Joe Biden. However, companies located in Texas are choosing to abide with Biden’s laws, and for multiple reasons too. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have already said that they would abide by the federal mandate as they are federal contractors and their employees work across the United States, but groups of companies have followed suit. Blocs of businesses in Dallas and Houston have both said that they support the federal mandate, and that Abbott’s order complicates workplace safety. From what it looks like, Texas businesses will challenge the mandate, and Abbott might have to hit the repeal button on this one. The impact these companies have on the Texan economy, and the US economy, is way too much to risk losing. What do you think about the companies challenging Texas?
I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.
