Texas House Speaker Takes Action After Quorum Call Passes
As the 1 PM deadline for a quorum call passed, the Texas House Speaker implemented several measures impacting absent House Democrats financially.
Speaker Burrows announced that 96 members were on duty at 1 PM, but only 95 activated their roll call lights. This absence means that eight Democrats were missing, and since House rules stipulate that 100 members must be present to conduct business, the session couldn’t proceed.
In response, Burrows declared that members who were absent without valid excuses would not receive their pay or electronic deposits. Instead, they would need to collect their checks directly at the Capitol.
Additionally, he mentioned withholding 30% of the monthly operating budget for those who didn’t show up, stating that these funds would become unavailable for spending. Members were also informed that in-person attendance was required for certain requests, like trip reimbursements or changes to staff salaries.
Burrows called on all members to be present on Monday to conduct House business. He also coordinated with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to take further steps aimed at ensuring the return of Democratic members who had left for states like Illinois and California.
“Yesterday, Attorney General Ken Paxton and I made moves to address civil arrest warrants in Illinois and are working to make these enforceable outside Texas,” Burrows remarked. He also indicated that more lawsuits would likely be initiated in states where the Democrats were currently absent.
According to reports, the Texas Supreme Court set a 5 PM deadline for Democratic Caucus Chairman Jean Wu related to a lawsuit submitted by Governor Greg Abbott. This legal action aims to compel absentee Democrats to return and participate in a special session of the legislature.
Governor Abbott stated that he has taken emergency measures to address the absences of House Democrats, urging them to return or face action that could involve appointing replacements for their seats.
Abbott emphasized that “this truancy is over now” and advised the absent Democrats to return by 3 PM on Monday, August 4, 2025. He expressed intentions to remove absent Democrats from their positions, referencing an opinion from the Attorney General regarding lawmakers who may have abandoned their offices.
On Sunday, House Democrats had fled to Illinois, as reported, to thwart legislative progress regarding Texas Senate District compilations. Wu criticized the governor, alleging that he was using gerrymandering tactics to silence minority voices in Texas.
