Reuters by Julia Harte 8/27/2021
Texas' House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill restricting voting access, more than six weeks after Democratic lawmakers fled the state in an effort to deny the legislature the quorum needed to approve the Republican-backed measure.
The House resumed business on Aug. 19 after three of the absentee Democrats returned to the statehouse, saying they had successfully brought national attention to the Texas bill and galvanized U.S. lawmakers to move forward on federal voting rights legislation.
Thursday's vote followed hours of fiery debate, but its outcome was widely expected because the state legislature is dominated by a Republican majority.
The bill, passed 79-37 mostly along party lines, will now proceed to a vote by the Texas Senate, where it is expected to pass easily by the end of Friday, clearing the way for Republican Governor Greg Abbott to sign it into law.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/texas-house-passes-voting-bill-that-lawmakers-fled-state-protest-2021-08-27/