Texas Scorecard by Brandon Waltens April 10, 2026
Most Democrats will each owe over $8,000 in fines incurred for breaking quorum last year. A Texas House Committee moved forward Friday with enforcing financial penalties against Democrat lawmakers who fled the state last summer to break quorum and block congressional redistricting—though the final amount came in lower than initially expected.
The House Administration Committee voted 6-5 along party lines to approve $118,889.81 in costs tied to efforts to compel absent members back to the Capitol, along with an additional $303,000 in daily fines. The total amounts to roughly $8,354 per lawmaker, about $1,000 less than earlier estimates after penalties for two Sundays were removed.
The penalties stem from Democrats’ coordinated walkout during the Legislature’s special sessions last year, which temporarily halted proceedings by denying the chamber a quorum. Gov. Greg Abbott later directed lawmakers to pursue punishments for members who “willfully absent themselves” during a session as part of his special session agenda.
Under rules in place at the time, absent members faced a $500-per-day fine and were required to reimburse a share of enforcement costs, including expenses incurred by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which was tasked with locating and returning lawmakers.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/house-committee-approves-fines-against-quorum-breaking-democrats/
