Texas scorecard by Darrell Frost January 19, 2023
Democrats opposed the rule, while Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi questions the resolve to enforce it.Amid the thwarted attempt to ban Democrats from committee chairmanships during last week’s rules debate, the Texas House of Representatives voted to penalize lawmakers who are absent from the chamber with the intent to disrupt its business.
The rule is aimed at preventing a Democrat walkout reminiscent of those that occurred at the close of the last regular legislative session and two of the three special sessions that followed. After a majority of House Democrats killed election integrity legislation in the waning hours of the 2021 regular session by leaving the House floor and denying the body a quorum, they fled the state for 37 days in July and August of that year to camp out in Washington, D.C. This effectively prevented a vote on similar legislation that Gov. Greg. Abbott designated as a priority.
According to the rule, which was adopted as an amendment to the original package, a member who is “absent without leave for the purpose of impeding the action of the House” is subject to several penalties, including daily fines of $500, payment of House security costs, reprimand, censure, and expulsion.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/house-republicans-adopt-rule-to-penalize-members-for-walking-out-on-the-job/
