The Texas Legislature on Monday attempted to consider a redistribution plan which would be in favor of Republican, but Democratic members who left the state Did not return in the weekend, Quorum The session needs to be called. The village. Greg Abbott vowed to take steps to remove those MPs from their seats, and Texas -based house speaker Dustin Beroz said he signed a civil arrest warrant for absent Democrats.
Republicans can “threaten useless, but as long as they are out of the state, there is really nothing they can do,” said Mark Jones, Professor of Political Science of a Rice University.
More than 50 Texas House Democrats left the state On Sunday, the Chamber needed to bring a vote on the floor, leaving less than two-thirds quorum. Democrats are protesting Republican led by President Trump To re -prepare the map of the state’s US House Congress, which could have done Net GOP up to five more seats,
“We are fighting for representative democracy, and whether it will continue or not, and so we are ready to face whatever results can come in our way,” Democratic State Rape. James talaryico Told CBS News,
“This house will not sit quietly, while you obstruct people’s work,” Buro said on Monday.
To assist Baroz, Abbott said on Monday that he had ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to “find out, arrest and return to the House Chamber, which any member has given up his duty to Texas.” But Texas DPS does not have the jurisdiction to arrest him out of the state.
A Houston Democrat, Rape N Johnson, in an interview on Monday, told CBS News’ Ed O’Caife written in a quorum break Texas Constitution, “and” the risk of arrest is something that should be an alarm for many people. ”
Abbott on Monday claimed on Fox News that Democrats may face bribery allegations if their costs are being covered by others while outside the state.
“I think based on the comments made by the MLAs themselves, they face the possibility of facing bribery allegations, which is a second degree hooliganism in the state of Texas, this is a way to treat, and that if they return to the state of Texas and quorum in a hearing today, they to tighten any Quid Pro Quo.”
But Jones said that “Texas, compared to other states, are very loose ethics laws.”
“The governor is certainly welcome to make that argument, and theoretically it has a limited level of ability to move forward, but at the end of the day, if you look at the Texas Ethics Act and see all the things that are allowed under the Texas Ethics Act … So we will receive money to receive a penalty for violation of a morality, which are alone.” Jones said.
Abbott said on Sunday that if the members did not return to CT at 3 pm on Monday, he would “invite the Texas Attorney General Opinion number KP -0382 to remove the missing Democrats from the membership in the Texas House.”
Abbott was citing the opinion of 2021 from Republican Attorney General Kane Paxton of Texas, which was written after the previous walkout when Democratic MPs Left the state to oppose changes in voting lawsRai, which is nonbinding, says that “the district court can determine that an MLA has confiscated his office due to abandonment and can remove the MLA from the office, which can make a vacancy.”
But Jones said that the only legal method to remove the Legislator of Texas is for the person who is to be expelled by the vote of two-thirds of the Legislature-which happened when the MLAs voted to expel Republican rape. Bayren Slaton More than misconduct in 2023 – or by voters by voters.
Republican State rape. Brisko can Posted on social media On Monday that he would file a bill to declare a seat vacant if an MLA missed for seven consecutive days of a session. But since there is no quorum, the bill cannot get votes – at least for now.
Abbott called a special session Last month, with 17 other issues, including relief, flood warning system and emergency preparation review, and A and A reviews, to raise redistribution efforts, and A. ThC restrictionHowever, the Congress’s redistribution was to be considered earlier.
Texas has a part -time legislature that is available every other year for 140 days. The Governor has the right to call a 30-day special session to address certain subjects. The current special session began on 21 July.
Abbott can call as much special sessions as he wants, meaning that if the Democrats take out the clock in this special session, he can make one and one call as soon as it ends.
