The Texas House of Representatives have passed House Bill 1239 (HB 1239), a legislative measure that ensures the governor cannot shut down churches and houses of worship when a proclamation of disaster declaration has been enacted.
HB 1239 relates to prohibiting the "suspension of laws protecting religious freedom and prohibited closure of places of worship" during times of a disaster declaration.
"I was proud to vote for (and help pass) HB 1239 to ensure that churches and other houses of worship—which provide essential spiritual, mental, and physical support to Texans—remain open when they’re needed most. Specifically, this bill would prevent government from using a disaster declaration to close churches (as happened in some cases in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic)," State Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) said in an April 11 Facebook post.
One pastor, who supports HB 1239 and similar bills on the issue, said churches are necessary so people do not starve spiritually.
“If churches are considered non-essential in our state, people will starve to death spiritually,” Pastor Jorge Tovar, speaking on behalf of his Jordan River Church and advocacy group Texas Values, said as reported by The Texan.
According to conservative-leaning social science research group, the Austin Institute, reports depression, anxiety and suicide are at lower rates among churchgoers as compared to non-churchgoers.
“We must carefully balance the freedoms of faith-based organizations with our obligations to protect the welfare of our residents,” Dallas City Councilman Lee Kleinman said, as reported by The Texan.
Kleinman does argue that closing down churches during a disaster declaration needs to take into consideration the health and safety of residents when it comes to spiritual building's structural security.
“If there is a disaster, we need to be able to enforce our health codes and building codes and things like that. Our biggest issue is if there’s a structural problem with a facility, we have to ask them to express their religion elsewhere," Kleinman said.
Another concern about the topic came from committee member Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) that asked about schools renting space in churches and if the schools would still be allowed to host activities even if the school is shut down due to health reasons by the school board.
Howard's concern comes from the fact that HB 1239 does not differentiate religious activities from religious places of worship.
Despite hours of opposition and debate, HB 1239 was able to pass with a vote of 57 Republicans and four Democrats.