The 88th Texas Legislature began as the three-year anniversary of the global COVID-19
pandemic loomed. The session ended just as the federal public health emergency declaration
expired. Bookended by these two significant dates, the legislative session mirrored the impact
COVID-19 had on our health care institutions, our health care workforce, and our communities.
The pandemic cast a long shadow on the Texas Capitol, and lawmakers’ health care priorities
and proposals – both positive and negative – reflected their understanding of how hospitals
weathered the pandemic.