Democrats who don’t return to the state by 3pm today, will have their seats declared vacant and Gov. Greg Abbott will replace them.
The Texas governor has issued a warning to the Democrats who skipped town to block the redistricting plan in the Lone Star State.
Governor Greg Abbott says these lawmakers abandoned their posts.
He also warned that fundraising to evade quorum fines may constitute a felony saying he will pursue extradition.
The Democrats’ departure, involving over 50 lawmakers flying primarily to Chicago and New York, was aimed at blocking House Bill 4, which passed a Republican-led committee on a party-line vote.
This bill seeks to redraw congressional maps to potentially add five Republican seats in the U.S. House, a move requested by President Donald Trump to bolster the GOP’s narrow majority ahead of the 2026 midterms.
This tactic of breaking quorum by fleeing the state echoes past events, such as in 2021 when Texas Democrats left to oppose voting integrity bills, and in 2003 over similar redistricting efforts.
Governor Abbott’ is requiring Democrats to return to the Texas House and be in attendance when it reconvenes at 3:00 PM today.
Failure to do so will prompt Abbott to invoke a 2021 Texas Attorney General Opinion to declare their seats vacant due to intentional abandonment of office – and remove them from their positions.
When declaring their seats vacant, Abbott would initiate the process to replace the lawmakers, potentially through special elections.
This could shift the balance of power in the House, where Republicans currently hold a majority but need a quorum to pass bills.
Abbott cautioned that Democrats soliciting or accepting funds to cover fines for breaking quorum may violate Texas bribery laws. This includes any third parties offering such funds to aid in evading duties.
He described this as potentially constituting a felony.
Abbott vowed to use his full extradition authority to demand the return of any out-of-state “potential felons” involved, emphasizing that fleeing is not a legitimate absence like illness but a deliberate dereliction of duty.
