Texas House Democrats may return after first special session is over

By Bethany Blankley
The Center Square

After the Texas House didn’t reach a quorum on Tuesday, the Texas House Democratic Caucus said absconding House Democrats would return after the first special session is over.

Those “who left the state to prevent a vote on new congressional maps will return to Texas, feeling they have accomplished their mission of killing the first special session, raising awareness and sparking national backlash about the mid-decade redistricting,” the caucus told ABC News and Houston ABC station KTRK.

“It is unclear which day they will be in Austin at the Capitol, but they stress that they will push for Hill Country flooding relief to be the priority,” the outlet reported.

In amicus briefs filed with the Texas Supreme Court in a case Gov. Greg Abbott filed to removed Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, from office, Democrats said breaking quorum was a “brief absence with a clear end date,” The Center Square reported.

In a separate statement Tuesday night, the caucus said, “Members are still assessing their strategies going forward and are in meetings to make decisions about future plans currently.

If and when Texas House Democrats breaking quorum decide to go home is squarely dependent on the actions the Governor, Speaker, and Texas Republicans in charge make with regard to prioritizing flood victims over redistricting that hurts Texans.”

The caucus issued statements on Tuesday after House Democrats continued to break quorum this week.

On Monday, House Speaker Dustin Burrows said a bill package to provide Hill Country flood relief and reforms was scheduled for a floor vote on Tuesday. On Tuesday, House Democrats didn’t show up.

Despite House Democrats’ claims to prioritize flood victims, the first scheduled floor vote they missed was to provide relief for flood victims.

Because of their absence, Burrows said, “We cannot take up the critical flood response legislation scheduled for a floor vote. [The bill package] would help families, some communities who’ve lost their homes, their businesses, their livelihoods, and in some cases, their loved ones,” The Center Square reported.

On the same day, the Texas Senate passed a flood relief package, which will go nowhere if the House does not meet a quorum. In the next special session, all of the bills the Senate passed will be voted on again.

Burrows said on Tuesday that he will call the House to convene on Friday. If the House doesn’t meet quorum, the first special session will end. Both the Texas House and Senate will sine die on Friday.

“We will gavel in for the second session on Friday and reestablish the call of the house;” civil arrest warrants for absconding Democrats will still be valid, Burrows said.

In response, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said, “House Democrats have made their point and now face a choice. They should return from their ‘vacation’ before Friday and pass the bills on the governor’s special session call. If not, the Texas Senate will adjourn Sine Die on Friday so Gov. Abbott can immediately call us back for another special session.

“This will continue in perpetuity.”

He also said the Texas Senate “will pass the bills on Gov. Abbott’s special session call over, and over, and over again until the House Democrats return from their ‘vacation’ to do the people’s business. The decision is theirs.”

If no quorum is reached in the House on Friday, Gov. Abbott said he will immediately call a second special session.

“I will call the Texas Legislature back immediately for Special Session #2,” he said. “The Special Session #2 agenda will have the exact same agenda, with the potential to add more items critical to Texans. There will be no reprieve for the derelict Democrats who fled the state and abandoned their duty to the people who elected them. I will continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed.”

It remains unclear if DPS and Texas Rangers will meet returning Democrats at the airport or at their homes to arrest them and bring them to the capitol. Burrows said troopers are sitting outside their homes and tracking every lead until they return to the House chamber for bills to be voted on.