Several Texas state House Democrats plan to rip up the written agreements that allowed them to leave the chamber with a police escort on Monday and return to the House floor Tuesday night time, the caucus introduced.
The lawmakers plan to spend the night time on the House floor with state Rep. Nicole Collier, who has stayed in the House chamber for over 24 hours after declining to signal the “permission slip” to leave.
“Without permission to leave, they will join Representative Nicole Collier on the House floor overnight ahead of tomorrow’s vote on Trump and Abbott’s racist redistricting maps that threaten to divide Texas communities and strip representation from historically-united Texas neighborhoods,” the announcement learn.
House Republicans introduced the requirement on Monday when Democrats, who confronted civil arrest warrants for leaving the state throughout a particular session, returned from their 15-day quorum break.
The Democrats fled the state earlier this month to prevent a vote on a controversial redistricting plan pushed for President Donald Trump that would probably get rid of 5 Democratic US House seats.
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows stated the Democrats might solely leave the House floor in the event that they obtained written permission and agreed to be under a Department of Public Safety officer’s escort till the chamber reconvenes on Wednesday morning.
All Democrats who had been current agreed on the time – aside from Collier.
“Rep. Collier’s choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules,” Burrows stated in an announcement earlier Tuesday. The Texas House Speaker stated he’s “choosing to spend my time focused on” vital laws. NCS has reached out to the speaker’s workplace for remark.
While the protest transfer attracts extra consideration to their redistricting struggle, Texas House Democrats have little to no legislative choices obtainable to stop the brand new congressional maps from being handed. The Texas House is aiming to vote on the measure after it reconvenes at 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, however the timing for ultimate passage stays unclear.