AUSTIN, Texas — Almost 24 hours have passed since the Texas State House met quorum for the first time in over a month, and some Texas Democrats are pushing back.
A group of House Democrats claimed Republican lawmakers lied about how many legislators were physically present Thursday night in a group statement. The statement said the group feels “betrayed and heartbroken” after some of their colleagues returned to the Capitol Thursday night.
One-hundred members of the Texas State House of Representatives must be present to meet quorum and conduct business. The last time it met quorum was July 12.
The majority of House Democrats originally left the state for Washington, D.C., during the first special session in July attempting to block the passage of a controversial election reform bill. Senate Bill 1, the second special session’s version of that bill, passed in the State Senate last week.
SB1 Is currently in the House’s special session committee. Several other bills that passed the State Senate can now also be taken up in the House.
The joint statement from over 30 House Democrats reads in full:
“We broke quorum for two reasons: first, to stop an anti-voter bill from passing our chamber, and second, to buy time for Congress to act to defend democracy itself. Our actions led us to the steps of our nation’s Capitol and earned us an audience with the Vice President of the United States, twice. We rallied the nation to our cause, and progress is now underway in Washington, D.C.
"It is essential to understand where we are in Texas today. The Republican voter suppression bill has been modified to strip some of the most embarrassing and morally bankrupt provisions. Still, we fully expect that the final product will erode the freedom to vote. Heroes leading our school districts have defied Greg Abbott’s order and set local policy to protect millions of children and their families from COVID, but those brave efforts are now at risk if the Republican legislative majority has its way. Greg Abbott baited Democrats with promises to address the foster care crisis and fulfill our commitment to retired teachers -- proposals that don’t go far enough and that Republicans completely ignored during the regular session.
"We are disappointed that a few Democrats chose to return to the floor. We feel betrayed and heartbroken, but our resolve is strong and this fight is not over. With their questionable quorum, Republicans are now fully enabled and empowered to enact virtually all of Abbott’s directives, including many dangerous pieces of legislation that will fundamentally hurt the lives of Texans. We know what we are dealing with; Republicans will lie about the number of legislators present at the Capitol to establish quorum, keep Texans in the dark, and bend the rules to get their way. Millions of Texans will be deeply harmed by the policy that will pass in the next 17 days.
"We are proud to have fought for our constituents, everyday Texans, using every tool at our disposal, and will continue to do so wherever we may be."
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