Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier, a seven-term Democrat who once chaired the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, interrupted DNC Chair Ken Martin during a call with national leaders when she was told her participation could constitute a felony.
“Sorry, I have to leave,” Collier said, cutting into Martin’s remarks. “They said it’s a felony for me to do this. Apparently, I can’t be on the floor or in a bathroom.” Moments later, she added, “You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom. No, hold on — bye everybody, I’ve got to go.”
The incident unfolded while the Texas House advanced a Republican-backed redistricting plan.
Democrats had previously fled the state to block the map but returned this week. To leave and reenter the chamber during the session, lawmakers were required to sign agreements placing them under the supervision of a designated Department of Public Safety officer, according to House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Republican. They also had to pledge to return to legislative proceedings.
Collier refused the conditions, instead opting to remain inside the House chamber overnight in protest. “At the moment that the directive was issued, I felt like it was wrong. It’s just wrong to require grown people to get a permission slip to roam about freely,” she said in an MSNBC interview. “So I resisted. I objected, in the only way I knew how, and that’s to resist.”
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Author: Faith Novak
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