GOP Reps Sue TX Gov Over Contact Tracing Contract

The Texas Tribune reports:

Five of the Texas Legislature’s most conservative members are suing Gov. Greg Abbott and state health officials, claiming Texas leaders overstepped their bounds when they awarded a major contract for tracking Texas’ coronavirus outbreak to a little-known technology firm.

In a lawsuit filed Monday, Republican state Reps. Mike Lang, Kyle Biedermann, Bill Zedler, Steve Toth and state Sen. Bob Hall asked a Travis County judge to void the controversial contract, arguing that both the selection process and length of the contract were improper.

“The Texas Constitution requires a separation of powers, and that separation leaves policy-making decisions with the Texas Legislature,” the lawsuit argues. “The Governor cannot establish new state policy, issue a $295M contract to [implement] that policy, and ignore or suspend state statutes just by claiming ‘It’s a disaster.’”

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