Republican Lawmakers Sue Abbott Over $295M Contact Tracing Agreement

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Texas Scorecard by Brandon Waltens August 4, 2020

The lawmakers argue the contract should be voided by the court “for lack of DSHS’ authority to expend essentially unlimited funds toward a goal unidentified by the Legislature.”

Five Republican lawmakers in Texas are taking Gov. Greg Abbott to court, suing the governor over his decision to ink a $295 million, 27-month agreement with tech company MTX Group to bring coronavirus contact tracing to Texas.

The term “contact tracing” refers to a process where researchers attempt to identify everyone a confirmed carrier of the Chinese coronavirus may have come into contact with. Those potentially exposed are then reported to public health authorities and encouraged to get tested or be quarantined.

In May, the state government entered an agreement with Frisco-based company MTX Group to operate call centers, with thousands of agents dispatched to follow up with those who may have come into contact with those possibly exposed to the virus. The contract called for hiring 4,500 call center agents over seven months, though MTX says it can source “well beyond 5,000 agents if required.”

Republican State Reps. Kyle Biedermann (Fredericksburg), Mike Lang (Granbury), Bill Zedler (Arlington), Steve Toth (The Woodlands), and State Sen. Bob Hall (Edgewood) filed the lawsuit in a Travis County district court against Abbott, MTX Group, and the Texas Department of State Health Services on Monday evening.

The lawmakers argue the contract should be voided by the court “for lack of DSHS’ authority to expend essentially unlimited funds toward a goal unidentified by the Legislature.”

“[T]he Texas Constitution requires a separation of powers, and that separation leaves policy-making decisions with the Texas Legislature. These decisions are not changed by pandemics.”

More: https://texasscorecard.com/state/republican-lawmakers-sue-abbott-over-295m-contact-tracing-agreement/