In a surprise turn of events, three new Democratic lawmakers unexpectedly returned to the Texas House floor Thursday evening, ending the state Democrats’ historic quorum break and paving the way for state Republicans to pass restrictive voting legislation, CNN reports.
The unexpected move by Democratic Reps. Garnet Coleman, Ana Hernandez and Armando Walle led to public accusations of betrayal among Democrats, as the House now has the required two-thirds of members necessary for a quorum.
As noted by CNN, “the voting legislation, which had been recently passed in the state’s Republican-controlled Senate, was among the bills quickly referred to committees for action. The current special session ends early next month, and a public House committee hearing on the voting bill has been scheduled for Saturday.”
It’s the first time the Texas House has reached quorum since Democrats fled the state 38 days ago, which held up legislative business in the chamber and prompted Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan to sign civil arrest warrants for the 52 House Democrats who had fled the state in an effort to compel their return.
Coleman, Hernandez, and Walle released a joint statement explaining their return to the floor on Thursday, saying they were “proud of the heroic work” accomplished by breaking quorum but “Now, we continue the fight on the House floor.” The statement noted the need to manage the Covid-19 surge in the state as behind the decision.
However, at least two members publicly accused their three colleagues of blindsiding them with the decision to return, with Rep. Donna Howard replying to the statement on Twitter, “This could have been shared with Caucus members beforehand.”
Last week, the Texas Republican-led Senate passed its version of the election overhaul bill, SB1, which includes mail-in ballot restrictions, a drive-thru voting ban, restrictions to the early voting time frame, video surveillance and assistance restrictions, as well as broad new protection and access for partisan poll watchers.
