For House Democrats, the story of the second special session is much different from that of the first one. The excitement of leaving the state had worn off, the media spotlight had dimmed and the pressures to return home were mounting.
Cassandra Pollock
Cassandra Pollock was a state politics reporter for the Tribune. She joined the Tribune full-time in June 2017 after a fellowship during the 85th Texas Legislature. Pollock spent her first two years at the Trib as an engagement reporter, which meant her name likely landed in your inbox every weekday morning with “The Brief,” a newsletter on all things Texas politics and public policy. Pollock is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism. Pollock left The Texas Tribune in 2021.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Legislature adjourns second special session after passing more of Gov. Greg Abbott’s priorities
The Legislature is expected to return soon for another special session focused on redrawing the state’s political maps.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House advances bill to restore money to pay salaries for 2,100 state workers after Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed Legislature funding
The legislation will need another stamp of approval in the House before it heads to the Senate, which has not yet debated its version of the proposal on the floor.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House speaker says “absolutely no deals made” to bring back absent Democrats
Navigating the quorum break, Speaker Dade Phelan said he was especially mindful of not doing “un-repairable harm” to the chamber, indicating that could have happened if members were physically detained and brought to the chamber.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House solidifies quorum with burst of returning Democrats but has only two weeks left to pass jam-packed agenda
It’s unclear what the Legislature will be able to accomplish with just two weeks left on the 30-day clock. Key legislative deadlines are coming. Member relationships are frayed. Some Democrats warn the quorum could be broken again.
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Texas Legislature 2021
The threats of state troopers arresting House Democrats have yet to materialize
As of Wednesday, there were no known cases of absent Democrats being arrested, and the chamber was still shy of the 100 members it needs for a quorum to conduct official business. That is despite its Aug. 10 vote to proceed with the arrests.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas law enforcement deputized to round up absent House Democrats, intensifying battle in the lower chamber
The Texas Supreme Court cleared the way for absent House Democrats’ civil arrests after it temporarily blocked Harris County judges’ orders protecting them from such a move.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Signed warrants produce no arrests of Texas Democrats for now, but perhaps a hardened resolve to stay away
It’s unclear how far Republican leadership plans to take the arrests, and there remains debate about the limits of law enforcement’s authority to detain lawmakers who are not accused of committing crimes.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan signs 52 arrest warrants for absent Democrats in bid to end chamber’s weekslong stalemate
The Texas Supreme Court earlier Tuesday ruled that Democrats who refuse to show up could be detained by law enforcement and brought back to the state Capitol.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House, just shy of a quorum, issues order to lock members inside the chamber
This is the second time in recent weeks the majority Republican House has voted to issue a “call of the House,” though members on Monday did not offer or debate a motion to enable law enforcement to track down members still missing from the chamber.