Texas Democrats promise to stay out of Texas until after special legislative session ends Aug. 6

WASHINGTON (The Texas Tribune) - Shortly after landing in Washington D.C. in an effort to deny the Texas House a quorum, House Democrats indicated they plan to remain out of state until the end of the special legislative session that ends Aug. 6.

Democrats’ Monday departure from the state will bring the Legislature’s work to a halt just days into a 30-day session that was called largely to advance GOP-backed legislation that would enact new restrictions on voting.

Asked by a reporter what the caucus planned to do if Gov. Greg Abbott called another special session for the next day, state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, suggested that was the reason behind why they had decamped to the capital.

“That’s our message to Congress,” said Turner, the Fort Worth Democrat who chairs the House Democratic caucus. “We need them to act now.”

At least 51 of the 67 Democratic members of the House — the number needed to break quorum — fled the state on Monday, most of them boarding two chartered planes that landed in D.C. around 7 p.m. Central time.

A number of House Republicans indicated that they would support what’s known as a call of the House, a procedural move that would allow law enforcement to track down lawmakers who have already fled the chamber. Read more about that here.

Click here for updates on the walkout Monday by Texas Democrats.

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