The Texas House passed a motion on Monday to issue arrest warrants for more than 50 Democratic lawmakers after they failed to appear at the chamber to vote on a Republican-led effort to redistrict the state’s congressional maps.
Democratic lawmakers broke quorum by fleeing to blue states like Illinois and New York and by not returning when the chamber gaveled at 3 p.m. Their absence led state House Speaker Dustin Burrows to say he would immediately sign civil warrants to permit the chamber’s sergeant-at-arms and state troopers to arrest them and return them to the state Capitol.
“The sergeant-at-arms and any appointed by her are directed to send for all absentees whose attendance is not excused for the purpose of securing and maintaining their attendance, under warrant of arrest if necessary, until further order of the House,” Burrows said.
The absentee members will not face civil or criminal charges, according to The Texas Tribune. The warrants only apply within Texas state lines, making them largely symbolic.
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton backed the arrests of the lawmakers and vowed to hold all of the “jet-setting runaways” to account for abdicating their duties.
“Instead of showing up to work and doing the jobs they were elected to do, House Democrat members have fled the state in a cowardly desertion of their responsibilities as elected officials,” Paxton said in a statement. “These jet-setting runaways abandoned Texas, abdicated their duties in the House, and sacrificed their constituents for a publicity stunt. I am prepared to do everything in my power to hold them accountable because these liberal lawmakers are not above the law. It’s imperative that they be swiftly arrested, punished and face the full force of the law for turning their backs on the people of Texas.”
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he issued an order for the lawmakers’ arrests.
“Texas House Democrats abandoned their duty to Texans,” Abbott said. “By fleeing the state, Texas House Democrats are holding hostage critical legislation to aid flood victims and advance property tax relief. There are consequences for dereliction of duty. Speaker Dustin Burrows just issued a call of the Texas House and issued warrants to compel members to return to the chamber.”
“To ensure compliance, I ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate, arrest, and return to the House chamber any member who has abandoned their duty to Texans. This order will remain in effect until all missing Democrat House members are accounted for and brought to the Texas Capitol,” the governor continued.
The Texas House requires one hundred representatives and 21 senators to constitute a quorum in their chambers.
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