Texas lawmakers began a special session Saturday marked by political tension with election legislation at the forefront.
Lawmakers convened for the summer’s first special session July 8 with “election integrity” and other GOP priorities on the agenda. The question at the time was whether House Democrats would again break quorum as they had in May to block election bills opponents say would disenfranchise voters.
The answer soon became clear when days later more than 50 House Democrats fled to Washington, effectively putting the session to a halt as they pushed for federal voting rights laws.
House Democrats have offered few details of their plans for the latest special session, but on Saturday there were 81 lawmakers present and 68 absent, falling short of the 100 needed to take action on the floor or in committee. There was a quorum present in the Senate, and the chamber began committee hearings.
The proceedings were brief in the House as the lawmakers gaveled in and out, set to return Monday. A prayer at the top of the proceedings led by Plano Republican Rep. Jeff Leach offered a lens into the tone of the session’s start.
“God, we’re staring right now at a raging ocean of division and hostility in this chamber,” he said, asking God to “restore what is broken.”
Eight Democrats were on the floor, including two whot had traveled to Washington: Rep. Eddie Lucio III of Brownsville and Rep. Bobby Guerra of Mission. Lucio suggested that a quorum may be made during the special session.
“Decisions are day-to-day, sometimes hour-to hour, but I anticipate there being several of my colleagues that are going to come back, but all for reasons that they find important,” he said.
Lucio said he returned to Austin for a combination of professional and personal reasons.
“I made my personal choice to bring the fight back to the Capitol,” he said. “I think everyone needs to make that decision for themselves. For those that are gone, I applaud them. That is what they think is best and they should do what they think is best.”
Lawmakers who were present didn’t take a vote to allow for the arrest of absent members.
If and when the Democrats return to Austin, tensions may be high between them and their House colleagues. Some Republicans, including Fort Worth’s Matt Krause, took issue with rhetoric used to discuss the elections bills during Democrats’ time in Washington.
“It’s not just that they left, it’s what they said when they were gone that’s going to create the most tension and strain on those relationships,” Krause said Friday. “You can’t go for a month and call people racist and supporting Jim Crow 2.0 and things like that — especially when they know and we’ve had conversations with some of those people. They know it’s not like that. It’s just performative for the national media and other Democrats and their base.”
Democrats on Friday said they didn’t want to telegraph their plans.
“Texas House Democrats continue in our fight to stop Texas Republicans’ efforts to undermine our democracy by passing their anti-voter legislation,” said Grand Prairie Democrat Chris Turner, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, in a Saturday statement. “Day by day, we will keep fighting with everything we have to protect Texans’ freedom to vote.”
But Saturday afternoon 22 lawmakers issued a joint statement where they said 26 lawmakers would stay in Washington “as long as Congress is working.”
“Texas Republicans can only succeed in their nationally coordinated assault on our democracy if Democrats are present at the state capitol,” the statement reads. “We are not there. We refuse to be party to the Republican plan to strip away the voting rights of the citizens we took a solemn oath to protect. 26 Texas House Democrats will be part of an active presence in Washington maintained for as long as Congress is working and making progress on federal voting rights legislation to see this fight through.”
The statement was sent by Representatives Gina Hinojosa, Trey Martinez Fischer, Jasmine Crockett, Ana-Maria Ramos, Eddie Rodriguez, Ron Reynolds, Ray Lopez, Christina Morales, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, Armando “Mando” Martinez, Joe Deshotel, Mary Ann Perez, Michelle Beckley, Alma Allen, Claudia Ordaz Perez, Celia Israel, Richard Raymond, Ramon Romero, Jarvis Johnson, Rhetta Bowers, Ina Minjarez and Vikki Goodwin.
Romero, a Fort Worth Democrat, confirmed that he planned to stay in Washington for the time being. He doubted that there would be a quorum met in the coming week.
“The last thing we want to do is not be a part of this conversation here in Washington,” he said.
Like with the last special session, there’s more than just the election bills on the table. Abbott has 17 items on the special session call, which includes some additions from July. Lawmakers are charged with taking up GOP priorities like critical race theory, border security and legislation limiting transgender students’ participation on sports teams. Other items are a 13th check for retired teachers, the allocation of federal COVID-19 dollars and funding for the legislative branch.
The House Republican Caucus criticized Democrats for abandoning their duties in a video posted Friday on social media — highlighting aid for foster care, the 13th check item and changes to state bail laws. Romero in a statement said some of the items are being used as “extortion and talking points” — like legislative funding and the 13th check, which Democrats have argued could have been done during the regular session.
Abbott vetoed legislative funding in the budget that starts in September after House Democrats broke quorum in May to kill election legislation. He and other state leaders announced an additional month of funding for the legislature Friday, giving lawmakers some additional time.
“We care deeply about our staff, and this action will prevent any interruptions of their salaries or benefits during our deliberations,” Sen. Jane Nelson, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement. “This is a temporary extension — which can be made permanent if legislators will show up to work in the special session.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
