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The Texas House mandated in its rules adopted on Thursday, Jan 14, that masks be worn for anyone attending its committee hearings except when you are speaking. Texas Senate one upped the Texas House with its rules, adopted on Wednesday, Jan 13, requiring the COVID Rapid Test (with 65% false positive rate) to be able to testify to Senate Committee hearings. Oh, did we mention that if you just take the vaccine, no rapid tests needed, anymore? Here are the Senate rules on COVID in their entirety that were adopted yesterday, January 13: SECTION 17. PROCEDURES RELATED TO COVID-19. (a) Public seating in the gallery will be limited to ensure social distancing in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. A wristband demonstrating a negative COVID-19 test is required for entry to the gallery. (b) No personal data will be collected from persons who are tested to enter the Capitol. However, aggregate data indicating the number of persons tested each day and the number of positive tests shall be available to the members of the senate. (c) Each senator may have one staff member on the floor at a time while the senate is in session. No additional staff for committees will be allowed, except that the chair of the Administration Committee may allow additional staff for members handling extraordinary matters. (d) To enter the senate floor or attend a committee hearing, a member must have had a negative COVID-19 test result that day. (e) Members' staff must be tested the first day of the week they enter the Capitol. All senate staff must be tested before accessing the Senate Chamber or attending a committee hearing. (f) All central staff must be tested twice each week and a record must be kept to ensure that the testing schedule is being followed. Any central staff who will be working in the Senate Chamber or might come to the Senate Chamber when the senate is in session must be tested that day. If the senate meets daily, the staff person must be tested daily; otherwise, they may follow the twice weekly testing schedule. Any central staff who routinely have daily contact with members' offices (post office staff, messengers, kitchen staff, etc.) must be tested daily. (g) A person who demonstrates proof of vaccination against COVID-19 shall be treated for all purposes the same as a person who has tested negative for COVID-19 and shall be entitled to a wristband. (h) A member of the senate shall determine whether to require a wristband demonstrating a negative COVID-19 test for entry into the member's office. (i) While on the floor, members of the senate shall wear masks except when alone at their desks. (j) Members and employees of the senate shall wear masks whenever they are in a common area of the Sam Houston Building. (k) A member of the public is required to have a wristband demonstrating a negative COVID-19 test to enter a committee hearing. (l) During a committee hearing, committee members shall wear masks to and from the committee dais but are not required to wear masks while seated at the dais. (m) A committee member may designate an employee to sit behind the member on the dais during a committee hearing if: (1) the employee is comfortable with sitting in close quarters on the dais; (2) the employee has tested negative for COVID-19 on the day of the committee hearing; (3) the employee is wearing an N95 or KN95 mask; and (4) the committee hearing room will physically accommodate staff seating. (n) The senate leadership will confer with leadership of the house of representatives to determine procedures for members of each house visiting the other house's chamber. Should the house of representatives approve a less secure standard of COVID-19 procedures than the senate, the senate may take appropriate measures to address that issue. (o) A member or an employee of the senate who tests positive for COVID-19 shall promptly leave the Capitol Complex. The member or employee may return 10 days after the date of the positive result if the person's symptoms are lessening and the person has had no fever for the previous 24 hours before the return date. The member or employee may return to the Capitol seven days after the date of the positive result if the person receives a negative result at that time.