Texas House Democrats returned to Austin on Monday for a second special session under unprecedented security to ensure they do not repeat a quorum break to delay Republican plans to approve new U.S. House district maps, among other items on Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) agenda.
The 50 or so Democrats returned after two weeks on the run, crossing state lines to avoid civil arrest warrants issued by House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) that sought to force them back to the capitol. Democrats claimed a moral victory in derailing Abbott’s first session, but their return now gives Republicans the chance to advance redistricting proposals.
“We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance and intimidation and rallied Democrats nationwide to join this existential fight for fair representation,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu (D) said in a statement.
But now that the quorum has been restored, Republicans signaled they would block any future efforts to bog down the second special session.
“The House has been through a tumultuous two weeks, but this institution long predates us and will long outlast us,” Burrows said from the dais. “We are done waiting. We have a quorum. Now is the time for action.”
Burrows said Democratic lawmakers who were subject to civil arrest warrants would only be allowed to leave the capitol under the custody of a Department of Public Safety officer, in an effort to avoid another quorum break.
House Republicans moved quickly to advance their redistricting plans. The chamber referred House Bill 4, the measure redrawing map lines, to the Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting on Monday. The committee planned to begin its first hearings later Monday.
The proposed maps, released by Rep. Todd Hunter (R), will add new Republican voters to districts in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley held by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D) and Vicente Gonzalez (D), both of whom narrowly won re-election in 2024 even as President Trump carried their districts.
Republicans plan to draw two central Texas Democrats, U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D) and Greg Casar (D), into the same seat centered in Austin. And they plan to draw U.S. Reps. Julie Johnson (D) and Marc Veasey (D), both of whom hold seats in the Dallas Metroplex, into neighboring districts held by incumbent Republicans.
Finally, a district held by the late Rep. Al Green (D) in the Houston area would be redrawn to favor Republicans. Under existing lines, former Vice President Kamala Harris carried Green’s district by 44 percentage points; the new lines would have given Trump a 15-point majority.
Companion legislation has been introduced in the state Senate, where Democrats do not have enough seats to deny Republicans a quorum.