AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Saying they're "taking the fight to the nation's Capitol," a number of Texas House Democrats left the state Monday, in an effort to deny a quorum in the Legislature's lower chamber and stall GOP efforts to pass election integrity legislation.
It's the first time since 2003 that Texas Democrats have left the state in order to break a quorum - and it's not clear when they might return.
“Today, Texas House Democrats stand united in our decision to break quorum and refuse to let the Republican-led legislature force through dangerous legislation that would trample on Texans’ freedom to vote," read a joint statement from House Democratic Caucus Chair Chris Turner, Mexican American Legislative Caucus Chair Rafael Anchía, Texas Legislative Black Caucus Chair Nicole Collier, Legislative Study Group Caucus Chair Garnet Coleman, and Dean Senfronia Thompson.
Monday's developments come after two marathon committee hearings over the weekend, which saw Republican lawmakers advance House Bill 3 and Senate Bill 1 on party-line votes after hours of testimony. Both bills were expected to reach the floor in their respective chambers later this week.
Many of the Democrats are on their way to Washington, D.C. via private jet, where they will urge members of Congress to pass the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
The Texas House currently stands at recess through 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.
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By fleeing the state and breaking quorum in the lower chamber, Democrats hope to run out the clock on a 30-day special session, which is set to end on August 6.
House Speaker Dade Phelan blasted the Democrats' departure in a statement. "These actions put at risk state funding that will deny thousands of hard-working staff members and their families a paycheck, health benefits, and retirement investment so that legislators who broke quorum can flee to Washington D.C. in private jets," said Phelan.
If a quorum isn't present when the House gavels back into session Tuesday morning, House chamber rules allow for the chamber doors to be locked and for orders to be given to law enforcement to track down any lawmakers who have fled. However, if those lawmakers have left the state, there is little that law enforcement can do to coerce them to return.
"The Texas House will use every available resource under the Texas Constitution and the unanimously-passed House Rules to secure a quorum to meaningfully debate and consider election integrity, bail reform, benefits for retired teachers, Child Protective Services reform, Article X funding, and the other important measures Gov. Abbott placed on the special session agenda," said Phelan. "The special session clock is ticking -- I expect all Members to be present in our Capitol in order to immediately get to work on these issues.”
Gov. Greg Abbott called on Democrats to return to the state, accusing them of "abandoning their responsibilities" by breaking quorum. "Democrats must put aside partisan political games and get back to the job they were elected to do," said Abbott in a statement. "Their constituents must not be denied these important resources simply because their elected representative refused to show up to work."
During the 2003 battle over redistricting, 52 House Democrats fled the state and headed to Ardmore, Oklahoma in order to break quorum, preventing a Republican-led plan from getting a vote during the regular session. Later, during a second special session, 11 Senate Democrats fled to Albuquerque, New Mexico, again breaking quorum, this time in the upper chamber. The redistricting plan was successfully passed in a third special session.