AUSTIN (Nexstar) – In the past week, workers for several state agencies received e-mails about changes to work-from-home policies. The messages are raising questions among many state employees asking if they will soon have to go back to work in the office for their respective agency.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office confirmed Texas agencies will follow the lead from the federal government to end hybrid work schedules where possible and bring workers back into the office full-time.
Multiple people have reached out to Nexstar asking if Gov. Greg Abbott is mandating state agencies to end hybrid work schedules for state employees. Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office, sent this statement to Nexstar:
“State agencies have been in office, and any remote work policies must ensure taxpayer dollars are being utilized efficiently. Texans expect their public servants to be present and engaged in the work on their behalf. With remote federal workers returning to the office where possible, it’s important that state agencies ensure they do the same.”
The White House sent out an official memo on January 20 stating, “Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.”
The Legislative Budget Board released a report for each agency in October detailing the remote policy each agency has and whether or not it has created any impact.
During the first ever DOGE committee hearing in the House of Representatives this week, Brian Guthrie, the executive director of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, answered questions relating to remote work at his agency.
Rep. Daniel Alders, a Republican from Tyler, asked Guthrie about the employees who work from home. “Do you imagine if those employees were not working from home, but were in the office, that you could operate more efficiently,” Alders asked.
“We have not seen a dip in operating efficiency with having those employees have a day or two being able to work from home, but we recognize that that the trend is to return to the office,” Guthrie said.
He went on to say he would make employees come back on one exception based off of what they learned from remote work following Covid.
“We learned that it was much more efficient to actually deliver telephone counseling services from home. Sure. We also found that we could employ statewide for telephone counselors. Finding them in Austin is nearly impossible, given the marketplace, but if you being able to offer that to individuals outside of the Austin area has been tremendously beneficial for us, and that’s why we have the customer service levels that we do,” Guthrie said.
He went on to say if he was told to bring employees back to the office five days a week he would do so with open arms, but he would like to have his telephone counselors stay at home. Between 200 and 300 people are telephone counselors at TRS, according to Guthrie.
Alders then asked if Guthrie had a plan to bring people back five days a week. Guthrie responded saying it was an easing-in process, but said it would not be hard to implement as some employees do not take advantage of working from home on certain days.
“I think that we are reaching a point where being able to pull the plug on that, if you will, would not be as problematic as it perhaps two even two years ago,” Guthrie explained.
Nexstar is reaching out to every state agency to confirm which hybrid policies will be ending, or if the agency has already sent out messaging to its employees. You can check back here throughout the day as we update our story. Here is a list of the agencies we have reached out to:
Legislative Budget Board
A spokesperson with the agency said, “No guidance has recently been provided to our staff regarding telework policies. All of our employees are currently required to work full-time in office.”
Sunset Advisory Commission
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
State Bar of Texas
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Attorney General
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
General Land Office
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Secretary of State
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
State Auditor
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Department of Information Resources
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Lottery Commission
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Military Department
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Veterans Commission
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Department of Public Safety
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Department of Insurance
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Railroad Commission of Texas
A representative with the Railroad Commission said, “We have not sent anything to employees. The agency currently has a telework program.”
Public Utility Commission of Texas
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Medical Board
We have not heard back from an official spokesperson of the TMB, but an employee did anonymously share an internal email from executive director Brint Carlton. The employee said two weeks ago employees were told productivity was so good and goals were being exceeded, there were no plans to go back to the office.
The email from Carlton on Wednesday signaled a change is coming. The email reads, “We know some of you have heard from other agencies that changes to telework policies are coming. We have heard this as well, but have not yet received official guidance. As of today, there are no changes at TMB. We will update you when we have more information.”
The email continues, “In the meantime, we all might want to think through different scenarios, needs, or plans if changes are made. We understand such changes will be challenging for some staff. We will do our best to provide as much support as we can.”
Health and Human Services Commission
An employee with Health and Human Services shared an email sent to staff on Thursday “directing all supervisors to ensure offices and leased spaces are fully occupied by March 31.”
The employee said “Yesterday, during our new mandatory in office day all teams in the division were sent a meeting invite with little to no notice. During these meetings we were all informed that the governor issued orders to return to office and it was just confirmed for leadership the previous night at 9pm. Leadership seemed unable to answer any questions that were raised by staff and cited the orders vague wording and a multitude of logistics uncertainties.”
A spokesperson with the agency sent the exact same email to Nexstar.
Department of State Health Services
A representative with the Department of State Health Services sent an bulletin from the department’s Commissioner Dr. Jennifer Shuford, confirming “they have received “the legislature and state leadership would like state agency employees who telework to return to state offices.”
However, the change might not be immediate.
“We also know that things like space constraints need to be taken into consideration. So in the coming days and weeks, we will need to determine what a practical DSHS return-to-office plan might look like,” Shuford wrote. “In the meantime, I ask you to please keeping doing the excellent work you’re doing.”
Texas Department of Agriculture
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Waiting to hear back from agency.
Texas Division of Emergency Management
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas A&M Forest Service
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Water Development Board
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Commission on Environment Quality
An employee with the agency anonymously shared an email that was sent to TCEQ workers from executive director Kelly Keel. The email said, “TCEQ will transition to a return to office posture over the next several months.”
Texas Department of Transportation
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
A spokesperson with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles confirmed they are working to return staff to the office after a “verbal notification from the Office of the Governor.”
In an email sent to employees Wednesday morning, Executive Director Daniel Avitia told employees, “I realize we are temporarily restricted in the space available at regional offices, and both space and parking availability at the Austin headquarters with construction of new facilities underway. Because of these restrictions and operational considerations, we plan to be strategic with how we return to our available office environments. We do plan to continue leveraging telework options in some form and will be reviewing other flexible schedule options where appropriate.”
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
A spokesperson for the agency said, “TDCJ is reviewing its remote work policy. It is worth noting, however, because of the nature of our work (correctional officers, support staff for the units), the majority of TDCJ’s workforce does not work remotely.”
Texas Education Agency
Waiting to hear back from the agency.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
A spokesperson for the agency said, “Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is currently reviewing and revising our telework plan and will communicate with TPWD employees in timely manner.”
Texas Senate passes bill to boost future dementia research
Texas Senators passed legislation Wednesday toward creating the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), an initiative that will infuse $3 billion of state money over the next 10 years to find a cure for one of the most cruel diseases impacting Texans.
Senate Bill 5 passed with bipartisan support. The legislation is a top priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, is carrying the bill and points out the elderly population in the United States is expected to double to 70 million by 2030.
“I believe this will touch the lives of almost every Texan, and so I can’t think as a body, as a legislature, that we could make a wiser, more prudent, better investment for the people of Texas and for future generations of Texas than to make this investment,” Huffman said before the vote.
The bill now heads to the House. Lawmakers also passed a resolution to trigger a constitutional amendment election in November, where Texas voters would have to approve the creation of DPRIT at the polls.
DPRIT is modeled after the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, which lawmakers passed and voters later approved in 2007. Huffman even said during a Senate Finance Committee hearing she copied the revised bill that was used to create CPRIT.
Secretary of State Jane Nelson was a lawmaker in 2007 and carried the bill that created CPRIT. She spoke in a public hearing last week about her work 18 years ago.
“It was one of, if not the most important piece of legislation I ever created,” Nelson told the Senate Finance Committee. “Even though we had universal agreement that we needed to step up the fight against cancer it was one of the toughest bills that I carried.”
The bill faced questions about the funding mechanism and whether research was a core function of the state government. Voters and lawmakers eventually approved the initiative and have dedicated $6 billion of state money to CPRIT since then.
Nelson said it was a great investment and made Texas one of the leaders in cancer research in the world. She believes the state should repeat history when it comes to dementia. She shared her personal story about the cognitive disease. Her mother was diagnosed with dementia.
“It’s the cruelest disease, and then we lost her,” Nelson said. She said it is especially hard for families to watch their loved ones slowly lose themselves.
The National Institutes of Health reported in 2024 that Alzheimer’s and related dementia research has advanced in recent years but stressed more needs to be funded to keep finding new answers to a cure and prevention.
“This progress helps move us closer to developing effective prevention and treatment options that benefit all Americans,” the NIH report reads.
Romi Lessig is excited for the idea of an institute in her home state that is dedicated to finding a cure for dementia, even though that cure will most likely not come in time for her mother.
“I’m not naïve enough to think we can do anything that will help my mom,” Lessig said through tears. But she knows that in order for changes to happen, there needs to be action.
Her mom, Vicki Matthews, is slowly losing herself. As a child in Florida, Lessig said her mom was a rock and always someone can rely on. “She was the mom that everybody could call and talk to about things if they didn’t want to talk to their own mom but they wanted to talk to somebody,” Lessig explained.
But the former librarian is now losing parts of herself. Lessig said her mom does not read anymore, even though she was avid reader when she was growing up, because she is having trouble remembering what she had just read on the previous page.
She hopes the DPRIT is approved this year so work can begin as soon as possible to create a future where her kids will not have to go through the same thing.
“I want something more for them. I want them to have more happiness, more health, and it’s going to take time. We got to start now,” Lessig said.
Hospital safety bill gets bipartisan support a year after deadly crash
More than a year after a drunk driver slammed into St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, killing herself and seriously injuring five others, there’s now growing, bipartisan support for a bill – sparked by a series of KXAN investigations – aimed at preventing other disasters across the state.
“It’s a common sense bill,” said State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, after a recent committee hearing at the Capitol.
His bill, SB 660, seeks to expand what the Austin City Council unanimously approved in December – also in response to KXAN’s investigation. If passed, it would require the installation of crash-tested security barriers, called bollards, at most hospital entrances statewide. A KXAN investigation found, in the past decade, more than 400 incidents of vehicles crashing into, or at, medical centers nationwide.
“How much of an influence did our reporting, and the Bernard family’s story, influence your decision to file that bill?” asked KXAN investigative reporter Matt Grant.
“Very much. It really did,” West said. “You end up being, I guess you could say, vessels of information for us to look at legislation.”
West told KXAN his bill will save lives.
“I would be very surprised if it didn’t pass,” he said.
St. David’s is currently facing a $1 million lawsuit from the Bernard family, who were badly hurt in last year’s crash. The hospital system hasn’t commented on its bollards and said it doesn’t comment on litigation or pending legislation. St. David’s, however, previously told KXAN it would comply with any new legal or regulatory requirements that are passed.
West’s bill has already been referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, chairs that committee and confirmed to KXAN that “it will definitely get a hearing.”
“There’s another common sense approach,” she said of the bollard measure. “You would think that many of our hospitals are doing this.”
Kolkhorst said she wants to work with West and hospital groups to “make sure we have these common sense safety standards out there.”
“We talk a lot about patient safety, you certainly don’t want to have to think about walking out of an ER, or being close to an ER, and having someone crash through it,” she said. “So, I’m very optimistic that working with our hospitals we can come up with a very good bill.”
KXAN also took our findings to State Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood.
Hall sits on the committee and has worked on patient safety legislation in the past that was also sparked by a KXAN investigation.
“It would be different if there was just an isolated incident someplace that this happened,” Hall said.
“But, as you pointed out,” he added, “there are enough of them now to say this is a major problem.”
Dr. Ray Callas is president of the Texas Medical Association, which advocates for 60,000 Texas physicians and medical students.
He didn’t know the problem was so broad – until KXAN told him.
“I am literally in shock,” Callas said from the hospital where he works, when told about the frequency of incidents across the country.
“If we can even save one life, and we can make sure it’s safer for not only the people that are going to the hospitals, like our patients, but also all employees,” he said, “I think it’s a good thing to be doing.”
While TMA doesn’t have a bollard policy, or an official position on this legislation, Callas said West is “onto something” and his proposal is “hitting the nail on the head.” As a board certified anesthesiologist in Beaumont for more than 20 years, he’s seen a safety approach at hospitals that isn’t standardized.
“We don’t have any bollards at our hospitals,” he said. “But, whenever I travel over the state, I see some with bollards, some without.”
Citing safety concerns, and the recent terror attack in New Orleans, Callas said lawmakers “need to look into” this safety fix.
“I would definitely be in support of anything that will improve patient safety,” Callas said. “And physician safety and hospital safety for all Texans.”
Similarly, the Texas Nurses Association told KXAN elected officials should consider “all options” to create a “safe environment” patients and staff.
“The safety of nurses and hospital staff should be the highest priority of any healthcare organization,” the TNA said in a statement Wednesday. “Any and all protections should be considered to ensure our healthcare providers can come to work with confidence that they are protected and working in a safe environment.”
“As our state legislators explore every possible safety measure,” the organization added, “TNA will continue to follow this issue.”
Not everyone is on board with the proposal.
In a blog post at the start of the legislative session, the head of the Texas Hospital Association – which advocates for more than 85% of the state’s acute care hospitals – called the bollard bill a “one-size-fits-all” mandate and a “misguided idea.”
“[A] mandate for bollards is an unreasonable administrative cost burden that could impact access to care – and the cost of care – for many Texans,” THA CEO John Hawkins wrote in a blog post on the organization’s website titled, “Bollard Mandates for Hospitals Would Be a Barrier to Care.”
“It’s crucial that hospitals be allowed to independently assess safety measures based on the needs of their communities,” Hawkins added.
In January, an agency spokesperson echoed those sentiments in a statement to KXAN, pushing back on the proposal by arguing hospitals are one of the “most regulated industries in the country” already following hundreds of state and federal safety standards.
“We have not seen any national studies or science indicating bollards are one of the most pressing, critical components to hospital safety,” said THA spokesperson Carrie Williams.
“In a state as large and diverse as Texas, its — its family of hospital is equally varied,” Williams added. “The bollard decision is best left to individual hospitals to evaluate, as opposed to a blanket statewide regulation that doesn’t account for the individuality of hospitals and their communities.”
Safety is “of paramount importance to Texas hospitals,” Williams said. But, absent any local, state, or federal requirements, our investigation found a patchwork system where some hospitals don’t have bollards – or, like St. David’s North Austin Medical Center, only installed them after a tragedy.
“And, if they aren’t going to do it,” Hall warned from his Capitol office, “then we in the legislature have a responsibility to protect the people of Texas.”
Texas pushes to tighten rules for Botox, similar treatments
The Texas Medical Board issued new rules when it comes to administering and overseeing certain treatments like Botox injections in response to consumers “demanding more transparency,” according to TMB president Dr. Sherif Zaafran in a February bulletin. More changes could come as lawmakers also push for additional oversight.
The TMB rules clarify that treatments or procedures including Botox, IV and hydration therapy are considered “medical” and must be administered by a Texas licensed physician or others qualified under a doctor’s supervision like a physician assistant or an advanced practice registered nurse.
Facilities are now required to post the name and the board license number of the delegating physician in all public areas and treatment rooms. Additionally, all advertising must also feature that physician’s name, and all staff must wear identification showing their name and credentials.
“The new rules aim to increase transparency, helping patients make informed choices and avoid negative outcomes,” explained TMB Communications Officer Spencer Miller-Payne.
The change comes after a KXAN investigation uncovered how anyone across the state can become certified to do injections including Botox.
“It’s a great start,” said Dr. Kelly Green, co-founder of TX400, a grassroots group of doctors advocating for patient safety across the state.
The ophthalmologist in Marble Falls explained another big step would be if Senate Bill 378 filed in November passes this legislative session. The legislation from State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, would prevent barbers, cosmetologists and estheticians from administering Botox and other injectables unless they are licensed or authorized to give the shots.
“Whenever you’re injecting something, speaking as a surgeon, it’s important that the person doing that injecting or doing that cutting knows what they’re doing,” Schwertner explained. “We need to make sure that injury and harm does not occur.”
The bill would also give the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation authority to discipline those professionals if something goes wrong.
“I have had patients who’ve had their eyelid come down from Botox done elsewhere,” Green said.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Business and Commerce Committee. It has not been scheduled for a hearing yet. Last session, the bill stalled after passing the Senate.
In May, KXAN’s “Backroom Botox,” highlighted a medical emergency under investigation by the police department in Dublin, a small city north of Austin. A woman who wanted her privacy protected told KXAN investigators that she had fainted after getting a Botox treatment in the back room of a shop in town.
“Everyone was just kind of panicking. It’s like, ‘oh, my gosh, like, you know, what’s going on?’ And then the EMS and police arrived,” recalled the woman.
An EMS report detailed she had a five-minute seizure and was vomiting. The Dublin Police Department launched an investigation into whether or not the injector was “practicing medicine without a license.” Police would only confirm medical staff was not at the shop the day of the emergency and a medical director listed back then was a pediatrician in Tyler – more than three hours away – who never returned KXAN investigators’ repeated calls and emails.
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Dublin Police Department is investigating whether or not a injector was “practicing medicine without a license.” (KXAN Photo/Chris Nelson and Arezow Doost) -
Dublin Police Department is investigating whether or not a injector was “practicing medicine without a license.” (KXAN Photo/Chris Nelson and Arezow Doost) -
Dublin Police Department is investigating whether or not a injector was “practicing medicine without a license.” (KXAN Photo/Chris Nelson and Arezow Doost)
A spokesperson with the police department explained in February that the investigation is ongoing and it’s now working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
TMB can take action against doctors and other individuals for either improper supervision or the unauthorized practice of medicine. KXAN reviewed TMB disciplinary records from 2018 to March 2024 and found more than 60 actions taken against individuals and/or physicians specifically related to med spas and or non-surgical cosmetic procedures.
Since the KXAN investigation in May, TMB disciplinary records show more than 20 new similar actions have been taken against individuals and/or physicians. KXAN investigators have not found any action related to the Dublin case and Miller-Payne said the agency cannot confirm or deny any complaints or investigations until action has been taken.
Miller-Payne added that TMB continues to receive complaints related to Med Spas and IV hydration clinics about “improper supervision,” and “delegation by the physician.” He explained the complaints include failure to see patients before treatment or ensure that the delegated providers evaluate the patient and review medical records before deciding if treatment is appropriate.
“Given the concerns over the risks of these therapies pose, the focus of the rules is to ensure patients are properly medically evaluated prior to treatment, know what they are actually receiving, and who is providing the therapy to them,” Miller-Payne explained to KXAN.
He said that a “significant” number of complaints include there being no physician delegation and supervision. In such cases the TMB issues a Cease and Desist order.
“Patients need to be aware that if they go to a medical place, they can get medical care. If they’re going to a med spa or something like that, cosmetology type of place, those places shouldn’t be doing medical care unless they’re really being supervised by a physician,” Dr. Green explained.
Ultimately, she believes it’s about patient safety in an industry that continues to grow. She explained that her group will be pushing for any legislation this session that puts patients first.
“Some of this is being done in hair salons. Boutiques will have, like, a little closet set up in the back where people are getting Botox,” she said. “I mean, it’s completely bonkers.”
