A coordinated in the Texas House is paralyzing the state鈥檚 special legislative session 鈥� casting doubt over what, if anything, can be accomplished before the session ends later this month.
More than 50 House Democrats left the state primarily to block , a redistricting plan passed along party lines that would dramatically reshape Texas鈥� congressional maps to create up to five new Republican-held seats, fulfilling .
Over the last few days, the House has convened briefly, only to adjourn after confirming there aren鈥檛 enough members present.
Gov. Greg Abbott to address a range of priorities, including mid-decade redistricting, after the July 4 floods in the Hill Country, , eliminating the STAAR test and expanding the attorney general鈥檚 authority to prosecute election crimes.
But without a quorum, the House is unable to debate or vote on legislation 鈥� effectively stalling every bill filed during the session, regardless of whether it passes the Senate.
Despite the uncertain future, the Senate has continued moving forward, passing out of committee on Tuesday. The proposal would require people in public schools and government buildings to use bathrooms that match their sex assigned at birth.
But even if the Senate passes SB 7, the bill can鈥檛 advance without action in the House.
Republican leaders have escalated pressure to compel lawmakers to return to the Capitol. On Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to declare the seats of absent House Democrats vacant, arguing the lawmakers were abandoning the duties of their office. Paxton鈥檚 decision would open the door for Abbott to appoint their replacements.
鈥淒emocrats have abandoned their offices by fleeing Texas, and a failure to respond to a call of the House constitutes a dereliction of their duty as elected officials,鈥� Paxton said.
Among those who left the state is Rep. Venton Jones of Dallas, vice chair of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus. In a posted Sunday, he said the quorum break isn鈥檛 just about redistricting 鈥� it鈥檚 also about blocking the passage of SB 7.
鈥淪B 7 aims to erase transgender, non-binary and intersex Texans from public life,鈥� he said. "Texans care for our neighbors. We do not tolerate bullies.鈥�
The special session is scheduled to end August 19, but Abbott could call for another one. His office didn鈥檛 respond to a request for comment on Tuesday, but Rep. Vikki Goodwin of Austin, who also fled the state, told The Texas Newsroom she expects a second session to be called.
鈥淚 don't know how long we can keep everyone out of the state of Texas, but I know that we're committed to staying out through this special session,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e're really just taking it one day at a time.鈥�
KUT鈥檚 Katy McAfee contributed to this story.
