Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed a law that prohibits government agencies from ordering churches and houses of worship to close, following health-related orders that were handed down during the pandemic that mandated the closure of churches and other religious houses. Saying the bill is designed to protect Texans’ First Amendment right to religious freedom, Abbott said the GOP-backed bill, HB 1239, prohibits any public official or government agency in Texas “from issuing an order that closes places of worship.” “The First Amendment right to freedom of religion shall never be infringed,” he wrote on Tuesday. Last year, the governor signed an executive order to shut down many businesses and institutions in Texas, including churches as they were deemed “nonessential” during the pandemic. Abbott was later sued by faith leaders to reopen churches across the state and deem them “essential” before the governor reversed his order. State Rep. Scott Sanford, a …