AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Members of the Texas House on Tuesday voted to authorize law enforcement to track down, detain, and return missing Democrats to the state Capitol, hours after the state Supreme Court issued a stay of an order blocking them from doing just that.
The House voted 80-12 Tuesday afternoon to grant the power to law enforcement, "under warrant of arrest, if necessary."
Tuesday morning, the Texas Supreme Court issued a stay of a lower court's restraining order that blocked Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan from arresting House Democrats in the ongoing Legislature quorum break.
"The Supreme Court of Texas swiftly rejected this dangerous attempt by Texas Democrats to undermine our Constitution and avoid doing the job they were elected to do," said Renae Eze, an Abbott spokeswoman. "We look forward to the Supreme Court upholding the rule of law and stopping another stall tactic by the Texas Democrats."
In the emergency motion, the state argued that the lower court's order, issued late Sunday by state District Judge Brad Urrutia in Travis County, improperly stopped Abbott and Phelan from exercising authority specifically granted to them under the Texas Constitution.
The current 30-day special session, which began on Saturday, is set to end on or before Sept. 5.
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Urrutia currently has a hearing on the matter scheduled for Aug. 20.
Several House Democrats have returned to the state under the cover of Urrutia's order, including James Talarico (D-Round Rock). Despite some members returning to the Capitol, the chamber remained just shy of the 100 members required for a quorum on Monday evening.
That prompted House Republicans to vote to issue a "call of the House", locking the chamber doors. Members must also receive written permission from the speaker before they are allowed to leave the chamber. The motion passed on an 80-8 vote.
Following that vote, Phelan adjourned the House until 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Senate advanced its version of a bill that would lower the requirements for a quorum in both chambers of the Legislature to a simple majority. Senate Joint Resolution 1 passed the upper chamber's Special Committee on Constitutional Issues on a 5-0 vote, including two Democrats.
In order to change the quorum threshold, two thirds of both chambers must approve the measure, and then it has to be approved by voters.