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Texas House Democrats under surveillance

Along Came Jones

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As Governor Abbott promised, the second special session is underway. A House committee advanced their redistricting map for a floor vote as early as Wednesday. The Senate passed a number of bills, most of which provide for flood protection and relief. How will Democrats respond?

All but one former runaway is being shadowed by Department of Public Safety troopers. The exception is Representative Nicole Collier who refused to sign an authorization permitting the DPS escorts. She appears to be locked inside the House Chamber. At the end of the day's session last evening, Troopers arrested 4 protesters who refused to leave the lobby. They were protesting Collier's detention.

"I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts," [Collier] said in the statement. "My community is majority-minority, and they expect me to stand up for their representation."

Burrows announced the surveillance order Monday morning, saying he would not allow Democrats to leave the chamber unless they agreed to be released into the custody of a designated DPS escort, who will “ensure your return Wednesday.” -- Democratic lawmaker defies GOP 'permission slip,' vows to remain in Texas House chamber, Taylor Goldenstein, Bayliss Wagner, John C Moritz, San Antonio Express-News, 8/19/2025 (Paywall)
 
Police state where democratic lawmakers can't move without a gop assigned department of public safety member with them? C'mon Texas, I would like to think the residents are better than this. I guess as usual I'm wrong?
 
Fascism...



 
This is nothing but state sanctioned kidnapping.

This needs to cost the state of Tex-ass their entire budget surplus.
 
ColdHardTruth said:
This is nothing but state sanctioned kidnapping.

This needs to cost the state of Tex-ass their entire budget surplus.
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Good luck with that . . .

Article III, Section 10 of the Texas Constitution ("Quorum; Adjournments from Day-to-Day; Compelling Attendance") Adopted February 15, 1876:

Two-thirds of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each House may provide.

The runaway Democrats screwed up. They should have stayed to fight tooth and nail in opposition to the redistricting maps which will reach the floor for a vote sometime this week. Senate and House Republicans on the first day dropped all pretenses. They blatantly with pride state the maps are drawn to increase Republican state and congressional representation.

Republicans are in no mood to forgive their counterparts' quorum breaking misstep.

Republican lawmakers commended Burrows’ handling of the quorum break, noting that the walkout had only ensured the GOP would move full steam ahead on every priority on the agenda, including contentious items such as a crackdown on abortion pills and a bill requiring transgender people use bathrooms aligned with their sex assigned at birth in school and government buildings.

“We’re picking up right where we left off,” Rep. Tom Oliverson of Cypress, chair of the House Republican Caucus, said Monday. “Nothing’s off the table. There are no deals to be made. If they had any leverage at the start of the last special session, it’s all gone.” -- Texas House Democrats return to Capitol, ending walkout over redistricting plan, Kayla Guo, Texas Tribune, 8/18/2025
 
That does not give them the authority to deprive people of their basic human rights.
 
What leverage did they have?
 
I mean at this point you may as well break all the rules. They are meaningless anyway.
 
ColdHardTruth said:
That does not give them the authority to deprive people of their basic human rights.
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It gives the speaker the authority to compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each House may provide.

They're free to challenge the authority in court. The last attempt to do so was smacked down by the Texas Supreme Court In re Greg Abbott (case summary) Circumstances in 2021 were different, but the impact is presently on display.

This judgment has significant implications for the legislative process in Texas:

  • Affirmation of Legislative Authority: The decision unequivocally upholds the Texas House’s constitutional power to enforce quorum through physical means, reinforcing the majority's ability to conduct legislative business despite opposition.
  • Precedent for Future Disputes: By firmly interpreting the constitutional provisions, the Court sets a clear standard for resolving similar conflicts between legislative procedures and individual rights of legislators.
  • Separation of Powers: The ruling delineates the judiciary’s limited role in intralegal disputes, emphasizing respect for the legislature’s autonomy in managing its internal affairs.
  • Legislative Stability: Ensuring that quorum can be maintained even in politically contentious environments promotes continuity and prevents legislative gridlock.
Maybe Democrats can find a cause of action to take it to a federal court.

CNN's Dana Bash just interviewed Rep. Christian Manuel (D). No hint of a plan to counteract the gerrymandering. The goal of the runaway, he says, was to bring to ordinary citizens an understanding of what is happening in Texas and how it relates to the national power alignment. California, he says, is the bulwark which will push back against the Republican power grab. Like Texas or any other Republican dominated state cares what California and its allies do. Indeed, Bash points out Newsom is already facing voter resistance to his plan to suspend via a plebiscite the constitutional enshrined independent redistricting commission.

This is not about voter representation. It is about two monster political parties questing for national dominance.

One question I wish Bash had asked is who will pay the more than $350,000 in fines levied against the runaway Democrats?
 
bomberfox said:
What leverage did they have?
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Since they ran away before any of the work left the respective committees, we'll never know. I do know what they lost. While they were off on their walkabout the Republicans redrew the maps not only to gerrymander the original five districts but redrew lines to strengthen the weaker districts they already dominated. On the first day of the 2nd special session out the new maps popped.
 
Of course it was.

The Texas supreme court is a bunch of right-wing scumbags and a major part of the problem.
 
ColdHardTruth said:
Of course it was.

The Texas supreme court is a bunch of right-wing scumbags and a major part of the problem.
Click to expand...
That's certainly an opinion shared by a number of voters who did not elect them and held by some number who did vote them onto the court. But with respect to this issue is it a fair assessment? What is the fundamental issue?

The text of article III, section 10 is clear, and the uniform understanding of the provision throughout our state’s history—including around the time of its enactment—has been that it confers on the legislature the power to physically compel the attendance of absent members to achieve a quorum. Plaintiffs proffer a novel understanding of article III, section 10 under which the House’s power to “compel the attendance of absent members” authorizes only persuasion and dialogue, rather than true compulsion. That is simply not what the constitution says. Adopting Plaintiffs’ view of article III, section 10 would restructure the Texas Constitution’s careful balance between the right of a legislative minority to resist legislation and the prerogative of the majority to conduct business. This we cannot do. Article III, section 10 is one of the foundational constitutional rules governing the law-making process in Texas. Neither the passage of time nor the passions of a hotly contested legislative dispute can change what it means. -- In Re Abbott

This is an issue Texas created for itself way back in 1876 when it established quorum at two-thirds of each House. Only three other states--Indiana, Oregon, Tennessee--set such a high attendance for quorum. The remaining forty-six states set their quorum threshold at a simple majority.

One question arises. Back in 2021 why did Republicans not support and pass state Senator Birdwell's bill to amend the state Constitution?

While nearly all states' constitutions require simple majorities to establish a quorum, Texas is one of only four states that require a supermajority of legislators (i.e., two-thirds) to conduct business. The Founding Fathers understood the virtue of a simple-majority quorum when they enshrined it in the United States Constitution. James Madison even went as far as warning against raising quorum requirements beyond a majority for fear that this would lead to a tyranny of the minority.

The intentional breaking of legislative quorums is relatively rare across the country; however, it frequently occurs in the four states that maintain a supermajority quorum standard. In keeping with our nation's founding principles, it is imperative that Texas adopt a quorum standard that will prevent a minority from wielding a disproportionate power so as to render the Texas Legislature incapable of responding to the will of the majority of Texans.

S.J.R. 1 lowers Texas' quorum threshold from two-thirds to a simple majority. S.J.R. 1 will put Texas in line with 46 other states by making it more difficult for a few to dictate to the many. -- S.J.R. 1 Bill Analysis
 
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