Greg Abbott: Texas Democrats who left state to stonewall GOP voting bills 'will be arrested and brought to the Texas Capitol'

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
Jake Dima
·4 min read
In this article:
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The nearly 60 Democratic lawmakers who fled Texas to stonewall a pair of Republican-backed voting bills "will be arrested" upon return to the state, Gov. Greg Abbott said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, at least 58 legislators in the state's House of Representatives left Austin to paralyze the chamber until they return to the Texas Capitol. The majority of the lawmakers boarded private planes to Washington, D.C., to rendezvous with federal officials after their GOP colleagues pushed two bills that would ban certain ballot-casting processes and require more identification for voting.

"What the law is, it's in the Constitution, and that is the House, the state House of Representatives, who were here in the Capitol, in Austin right now, they do have the ability to issue a call to have their fellow members who are not showing up to be arrested, but only so long as that arrest is made in the state of Texas," Abbott said Monday. "That's why they have fled the state."

"Once they step back into the state of Texas, they will be arrested and brought to the Texas Capitol, and we will be conducting business," he said on Fox News.

TEXAS DEMOCRATS LEAVE STATE IN BID TO STONEWALL GOP VOTING BILLS

Under the Texas Constitution, two-thirds of lawmakers must be present to conduct business, and those who evade the task may be legally required to return.

The Democrats were seen posing maskless on a flight ahead of their departure. The Republican governor referred to their exodus as "un-Texan" and called them "quitters."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
Update your settings here to see it.

"Isn't that the most un-Texan thing you've ever heard, Texans running from a fight? They're quitters," Abbott said. "It's like during a football game or a baseball game, taking their equipment when they're way behind and just leaving the field. That is not the way that Texans do things."

"By fleeing the state of Texas, they're doing more than just appealing to the president," he added. "They're using taxpayer money on this political junket to Washington, D.C., to prevent us from passing laws that will make our communities better."

At the direction of Abbott, a special session was called on Thursday, and GOP legislators introduced Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 3, a pair of legislation that would ban drive-thru voting, implement more comprehensive voter identification requirements for mail-in ballots, and prohibit officials from sending voting applications to those who did not request them.

Similar bills were introduced in May, though Democrats staged an eleventh-hour walkout, and voting on the matter was halted. The Democratic lawmakers said on Monday that their most recent act of protest was done to resist "dangerous legislation" that would "trample" on voting rights in the state.

"Today, Texas House Democrats stand united in our decision to break quorum and refuse to let the Republican-led legislature force through dangerous legislation that would trample on Texans' freedom to vote," the state House Democratic Caucus said in a joint statement.

"We are now taking the fight to our nation's Capitol," the group added. "We are living on borrowed time in Texas. We need Congress to act now to pass the 'For the People Act' and the 'John Lewis Voting Rights Act' to protect Texans — and all Americans — from the Trump Republicans' nationwide war on democracy."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Abbott contested the allegations from his Democratic counterparts and said the bills don't "hinder" the ability to vote.

"The thesis that they are operating under is completely false because what the Texas law does doesn't hinder anybody's ability to vote," he said. "And in fact, interestingly, what Texas is seeking to do is to add additional hours to vote. Texas has 12 days of early voting, and the hours of which will be expanded, and we will ensure that hours are expanded on Election Day, also. So, their entire thesis is completely wrong."

The House Democratic Caucus did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Texas, Greg Abbott, Voting, Democrats, Legislation

Original Author: Jake Dima

Original Location: Greg Abbott: Texas Democrats who left state to stonewall GOP voting bills 'will be arrested and brought to the Texas Capitol'

Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting

Recommended Stories

  • EXPLAINER: Texas Democrats fled the state. Here's why.

    Texas statehouse Democrats fled Monday to Washington to try and block the GOP's sweeping elections overhaul bill that makes it harder to vote in the state. A similar move successfully killed an earlier version of the bill on the last day of the legislative session in late May, and lawmakers are hoping for a repeat during the 30-day special session called by the state's Republican governor, Greg Abbott. The second goal has probably already been achieved — drawing attention to the Republican push to tighten Texas voting laws. Many Democrats in Congress have hoped their own sweeping elections bill making it easier to register and vote nationwide could counter pushes in the opposite direction in Texas and several GOP-controlled states.

  • Texas Democrats defy calls for their arrest

    Democratic lawmakers from Texas defied calls for their arrest on Tuesday, a day after fleeing the state, vowing to stay in Washington to push for voting reform.Vice President Kamala Harris praised the lawmakers, comparing their exodus to notable examples of voting rights activism in American history.Outside the Capitol on Tuesday, Texas Representative Rafael Anchia accused the state's Republican Governor Greg Abbott of poisoning the electoral process."We said we are going to kill any undemocratic efforts in the state legislature and if that meant leaving the state, we were going to do it."Abbott vowed to arrest the 50 or so lawmakers who fled on Monday, after denying him the support needed to pass new voting limits in the state.The remaining members of the Texas House of Representatives voted 76-4 Tuesday morning to find and arrest the missing lawmakers, under a House rule that authorizes the chamber's sergeant-at-arms to do so.Abbott vowed to continue calling for special sessions "all the way up until election next year" to get the voting bill passed.Texas is among several Republican states pursuing new voting restrictions in the name of improving election security.President Joe Biden on Tuesday reiterated voting rights legislation as a "national imperative," but did not outline a path to overcome Republican opposition.

  • House Republicans chase midterm dream with mammoth fundraising quarter

    The Republicans' House campaign arm is putting up huge fundraising numbers as the party seeks to win back control of the lower chamber in the midterms.Driving the news: The National Republican Congressional Committee raised nearly $80 million during the first six months of 2021, its best-ever first-half haul during an election off year, the committee tells Axios.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.By the numbers: The NRCC's June fundraising total topped $20

  • Harris meets with Texas Democrats after Republicans call on law enforcement to 'return' them 'to the chamber'

    Harris meets with Texas Democrats after Republicans call on law enforcement to 'return' them 'to the chamber'

  • Bans on critical race theory could have a chilling effect on how educators teach about racism

    People rally against 'critical race theory' at the Loudoun County Government Center in Leesburg, Va. on June 12, 2021. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty ImagesPerhaps no topic has dominated education news in 2021 like the debate over whether or not critical race theory should be taught – or whether it is even being taught – in America’s schools. Critical race theory is an academic framework that holds that racism is embedded in American society and its institutions. The debate about whethe

  • North Carolina Republicans move to limit classroom race talk

    North Carolina Republicans are advancing legislation to limit how teachers can discuss certain racial concepts inside the classroom, according to the state's most powerful senator. GOP Senate leader Phil Berger will move forward with legislation as Republicans across the country seek to counter their understanding of “ critical race theory,” a framework legal scholars developed in 1970s and 1980s that centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions, maintaining the dominance of white people in society. Berger and other Republicans say they are working to prevent pupils from being indoctrinated in school, though they cannot identify a single case of such indoctrination happening inside the classrooms that serve about 1.5 million K-12 public school students.

  • Britney Spears’ conservatorship ‘is a sinking ship’ at this point: Legal expert

    ABC News’ Linsey Davis speaks with attorney Christopher Melcher about the battle over Britney Spears’ conservatorship and why she has to fight to pick her own attorney.

  • Democrats Search for Consensus on Massive Spending Package

    Democratic lawmakers are rushing this week to complete the blueprint for a massive, multi-trillion-dollar spending package they plan to offer alongside a smaller, bipartisan infrastructure bill, and as Politico reports Tuesday, they are cramming as many priorities as they can into the plan, which is likely their last opportunity to pass legislation via budget reconciliation this year — a process that would theoretically require no GOP support.The package is expected to include programs left out

  • FBI director: Slain Indiana cop did what 'needed to be done'

    A veteran Indiana police officer who was killed in an ambush outside of an FBI field office last week was a valued member of an FBI task force for more than a decade, the agency’s director said at the officer’s funeral Tuesday. Terre Haute police Detective Greg Ferency worked on investigations ranging from drugs to counterterrorism during his 11 years on the task force, FBI Director Christopher Wray told hundreds of police officers and other mourners at Indiana State University’s Hulman Center basketball arena.

  • ‘The View': Joy Behar Says Teens Should Be Allowed to Get Vaccinated Without Parental Consent

    Vaccination rates are getting lower nationwide, particularly among teenagers — and for “The View” host Joy Behar, that largely comes down on overbearing parents. In her opinion, teens who want the COVID-19 vaccine should be able to get it, with or without their parents’ consent. Discussing the issue on Tuesday’s episode of “The View,” the hosts centered their arguments on a case in Tennessee, where a doctor said she was fired for saying it’s safe to vaccinate kids. Whoopi Goldberg posed the ques

  • Suspect arrested in assassination of Haitian president is a former DEA source

    A suspect arrested in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was "at times" a confidential source for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, a spokesman for the agency confirmed Tuesday. What they're saying: The DEA did not identify the suspect, but said that after the attack, the individual reached out to his DEA contacts, who "urged the suspect to surrender to local [Haitian] authorities." Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free."A DEA offici

  • Despite Republican chaos in Texas, a progressive Democratic momentum is brewing

    All eyes were on Texas this past week as conservative activists from around the nation gathered in Dallas for the […] The post Despite Republican chaos in Texas, a progressive Democratic momentum is brewing appeared first on TheGrio.

  • China's June exports surge 32%, import growth slows

    China’s exports surged in June while import growth slowed to a still-robust level as its economic rebound from the coronavirus leveled off. China led the global recovery from the pandemic but domestic consumer spending and other activity is weaker than expected. Trade growth “may slow down” in the second half, but is “expected to remain relatively fast,” Li said at a news conference.

  • Commission approves $126M in borrowing for North Carolina municipalities

    North Carolina's Local Government Commission (LGC) approved more than $126 million in financing for government buildings in six municipalities Tuesday.

  • Massachusetts Zoo Celebrates Its First Baby Sloth Birth

    On June 22, Sandy the Hoffman's two-toed sloth gave birth to a healthy baby — the first baby sloth born at Massachusetts' Buttonwood Park Zoo in its 127-year history

  • Texas Democrats leave state to try to stop GOP voting bill

    Democrats in the Texas Legislature bolted Monday for Washington, and said they were ready to remain there for weeks in a second revolt against a GOP overhaul of election laws, forcing a dramatic new showdown over voting rights in America. Private planes carrying more than 50 Democrats left Austin for Dulles International Airport midafternoon, skipping town just days before the Texas House of Representatives was expected to give early approval to sweeping new voting restrictions in a special legislative session. The numbers meant the House would not have enough lawmakers in attendance to conduct business and could not, at least for now, vote on the bill.

  • Small town in N. California devastated by wildfire

    Residents of Doyle, California near the Nevada border returned to see if their homes remained standing after a wildfire tore through their small town of about 600 people. Dozens of structures burned throughout town, including several houses. (July 14)

  • Millennial Money: 'Back to normal' boosts pandemic pup costs

    Close to 1 in 5 households have acquired a dog or cat since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey from the ASPCA. “Dog ownership is a journey,” says Brandi Hunter, vice president of public relations and communications at the American Kennel Club. This could be as simple as leaving the house for a few minutes at a time so your dog can get used to being away from you, says Nicole Ellis, certified professional dog trainer and pet lifestyle expert for Rover, a pet care marketplace.

  • Audit finds folds behind New Hampshire election miscount

    Auditors concluded that miscounts in a New Hampshire election were primarily caused by the way ballots were folded, according to a report released Tuesday. The audit, mandated by the legislature, was called by lawmakers from both parties after a losing Democratic candidate in a legislative race in the town of Windham requested a recount. The discrepancy drew the attention of former President Donald Trump and his supporters in their effort to find evidence of his wider claim of election fraud from 2020.

  • A Norwegian cruise line is suing Florida over law banning vaccine passports

    One of the world's biggest cruise companies filed a federal lawsuit in Florida on Tuesday over a law that bans vaccine passports, Wall Street Journal reports.Why it matters: Norwegian Cruise Line had threatened to pull its ships from Florida ports after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill in May barring businesses from requiring customers' proof of vaccination.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeCruise ships were one of the first su