Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called for another special session of the state legislature with a similar agenda to the first one. Work during the initial session stalled as Democratic state representatives left Texas to prevent the approval of a new congressional map that could give Republicans five new seats.
“Delinquent House Democrats ran away from their responsibility to pass crucial legislation to benefit the lives of Texans,” Abbott said in a statement. “…We will not back down from this fight. That’s why I am calling them back today to finish the job. I will continue to use all necessary tools to ensure Texas delivers results for Texans.”
In his statement, Abbott criticized the more than 50 state lawmakers who left for what he said was “their dereliction of duty.” He said “critical resources” for those affected by the deadly Fourth of July floods have been delayed, and other bills over property taxes, standardized tests for students, human trafficking and THC regulations were “brought to a halt.”
Democrats such as state Rep. Gene Wu, the party’s caucus chair, previously pushed back on the governor’s framing that they are “walking out” on their responsibilities. Instead, Democrats say they are fighting against a racist map that was gerrymandered to please Republican President Donald Trump. They went to New York, Illinois and Massachusetts, where they found support from their Democratic counterparts. Those in Illinois on Saturday had a protest in Chicago’s Millennium Park, decrying the maps and what they called “Trump’s redistricting scheme.”
Texas House Democrats said on Thursday that they plan to come back on two conditions: that the first session adjourn on Friday, and if California introduces redistricting maps to “neutralize the Trump-Abbott voter suppression effort,” CBS News Texas reported. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said there will be a special election for voters to approve a new congressional map that can counter the Texas GOP’s redistricting efforts.
“Democrats fought back ferociously and took the fight to Trump across America,” Wu said Thursday, according to the Texas Tribune. “We will return to the House floor and to the courthouse with a clear message: the fight to protect voting rights has only just begun.”
State rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez, in an earlier interview with Straight Arrow News, indicated that Democrats would likely remain in Texas and let the session go forward.
It would be “naive” to think that they were going to stop the passing of the redistricting plan in Texas altogether, she said. Still, she added: “We feel very confident that at least what we were hoping to accomplish — which was the buy-in from other states, to be able to dilute whatever Texas potentially could put out was our number one priority.”
On Saturday, Garcia Hernandez said she is “appreciative of all our allies across the nation who stood with us from the very beginning.”
“From day one, we worked hard to keep this at the forefront, and it wouldn’t have been possible without so many great minds and hearts coming together for something bigger than ourselves,” she posted on X. “Onward together.”
The House needs 100 members out of the 150 total to make a quorum.
Despite Abbott’s proclamation, the Dallas Morning News reported that there were not enough House members for Texas Speaker Dustin Burrows to establish a quorum and do any official business on Friday. Burrows said he expects absent lawmakers will be at the state Capitol on Monday, but that they should be ready to come in within a six hours’ notice if enough members are found before then. His goal is for the House to finish its work in time for Labor Day, the Dallas Morning News wrote.
Meanwhile, the Texas state Senate started committee action on several bills, and are set to be on the floor Monday.
The Dallas Morning News wrote that Burrows signed new civil warrants that allow the Texas Department of Public Safety to look for them and bring them to the Capitol. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also filed a motion weeks ago to issue civil arrest warrants against the lawmakers in Illinois who broke quorum. However, on Wednesday, an Illinois judge said the circuit court doesn’t have the authority to enforce these warrants.
Along with the arrest warrants, the Texas representatives have gotten bomb and death threats and been doxxed. Members of their families also faced intimidation.
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Author: Diane Duenez
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