Texas House Speaker offers Democrats free plane ride home to return to state
The plane will be on standby at Dulles International Airport, and Dade Phelan’s team said his political campaign, not taxpayers, will pay for the flight. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan behind the dias on July 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Who is footing the bill for Texas Democrats’ weekslong exodus to block the voting bill?
With over 50 House Democrats in Washington — along with 12 paid staff — the costs are quickly mounting and the party's funds are not unlimited. Full Story
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![Private charter planes at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on July 12, 2021. Democratic lawmakers booked charter flights to leave the state in protest of Republican-led voting restriction legislation.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texans, where’s your Democratic lawmaker?
Here’s a list of the Texas Democrats who left the state in an effort to block GOP voting legislation. Full Story
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![An empty House floor the day after Texas Democrats left the state to break quorum over a Republican-led voting restrictions bill. July 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Republicans vote to track down absent Democrats and arrest them if necessary
The procedural move carries little apparent weight since the Democrats who fled the state to break quorum are beyond the jurisdiction of Texas law enforcement. Full Story
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![House Republicans crowd around the speakers desk to discuss a point of order attempting to strip absent members of their committee appointments on the House floor on Tuesday, July 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
To block voting legislation, Democrats put bail bills, legislative funding and other measures in peril
Conservative priorities to restrict pretrial release from jail and ban critical race theory in schools were up in the air after Democratic lawmakers chartered flights to Washington, D.C. But so was funding for retired teachers and legislative employees. Full Story
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![Speaker of the House Dade Phelan gavels in the opening day of the special session at the Texas Capitol on July 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrats land in Washington, D.C., and promise to stay out of Texas until after special legislative session ends Aug. 6
Texas Democrats said they are urging Congress again to pass federal voting laws, acknowledging that Gov. Greg Abbott would continue to call special sessions until the GOP elections bill was passed. Full Story
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![State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, speaks to the press after Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives, who are boycotting a special session of the legislature to block Republican-backed voting restrictions, arrive at Dulles airport in Sterling, Virginia, on July 12, 2021.]()
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Deploy law enforcement? Call another special session? Texas GOP mulls options for elections bill after Democrats leave the state
A number of House Republicans indicated that they would support what’s known as a call of the House, a procedural move that would allow law enforcement to track down lawmakers who have already fled the chamber. Full Story
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![Planes stationed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on July 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Live updates: Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Democratic Texas lawmakers opposing voting restrictions legislation
Here are the latest updates on the Texas Democrats leaving Texas to block the special legislative session and a GOP voting restrictions bill. Full Story
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![Vice President Kamala Harris met in Washington D.C. with Democratic members of the Texas state legislature who left the state in an effort to slow changes to election laws and voter access, on July 13, 2021.]()
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Texas House Democrats flee the state in move that could block voting restrictions bill, bring Legislature to a halt
A majority of Democrats in the Texas House left for Washington, D.C., Monday afternoon in a bid to again deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass new voting restrictions with 26 days left in a special legislative session called largely for that purpose. Full Story
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![Members of the House Democratic Caucus attend a press conference on the opening day of the special session at the Texas Capitol on July 8, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: There’s plenty still to play out ahead of 2022, but Greg Abbott is starting to run up the score
With a big endorsement and a record-setting fundraising period behind him, Texas' governor is in a political sweet spot. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott spoke to the Senate at the Capitol on the first day of the 2021 Legislature on Jan. 12, 2021.]()
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Texans testifying on GOP voting bill faced a 17 hour-wait to be heard by lawmakers in the dead of night
Members of the public arrived at the Texas Capitol as early as 6 a.m. to sign up to speak before lawmakers considering the legislation. In the House, public testimony wouldn't begin until early the next morning. Full Story
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![Hundreds of people wait outside an Auditorium in the Capitol extension to provide testimony at a Senate committee hearing regarding proposed election legislation on Saturday, July 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
House and Senate committees advance GOP bail legislation, as Democrats warn bills could lead to mass detentions
Legislators in the House and Senate filed matching bills to change state bail practices earlier this week, echoing legislation that failed to pass in the regular session. On Saturday, committees in both chambers approved the bills. Full Story
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![The House Constitutional Rights and Remedies Committee hearing at the state Capitol on Saturday, July 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
GOP voting bills advance in Texas House and Senate after overnight committee hearings
Authors of the legislation are moving to ban drive-thru and 24-hour voting options, enhance access for partisan poll watchers and prohibit local election officials from proactively distributing applications to request mail-in ballots. Both bills also include language to further restrict the state’s voting-by-mail rules, including new ID requirements for absentee voters. Full Story
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![Activists hold signs saying, "Texas Deserves Better" outside a Senate committee hearing on proposed election reforms, at the Capitol on Saturday, July 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers take first steps to restore Legislature’s funding after Abbott’s veto
The House Appropriations Committee voted on Friday 21-0 to move forward a bill that would reinstate the funding after Abbott vetoed it to punish House Democrats who broke quorum in the final days of the session to kill two of his priority bills. Full Story
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![Gov. Abbott declines to take questions from reporters during the legislative session on the house floor on Sunday, May 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
What's in the new voting restriction legislation introduced in the Texas House and Senate
Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 3 will be the starting points for the Legislature's efforts to tighten Texas voting laws. Here's what the bills would do. Full Story
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![Individuals stand on the south steps of the Texas Capitol in support of voting rights at a press conference organized by Black Voters Matter, the Texas Right to Vote Coalition, Texas for All Coalition and other advocacy groups on July 8, 2021.]()
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Texas House attempting to reset on contentious elections bill with new author, new committee in special session
The lower chamber, led by House Speaker Dade Phelan, is trying to start off on a new foot with a controversial election bill that blew up during the regular session. Full Story
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![A voting sign at the South Austin Recreation Center polling site on Oct. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A “special” session of culture wars, politics and unfinished business
The agenda for the special session that begins today previews some of the issues you're likely to hear about during the 2022 election cycle. Full Story
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Democrats fear Texas Republicans will push even harder in second bid to pass new voting restrictions
As the Legislature's special session dawns, political developments have raised the stakes for how far Republicans might go in enacting new voting restrictions, and how they might impact voters of color. Full Story
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![Harris County residents waiting in line at the Bayland Community Center during the first day of early voting in Houston on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Previewing the special legislative session
In this week's episode, Cassi speaks with Alexa and James about the upcoming special legislative session that starts July 8 in Austin. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott includes voting restrictions, critical race theory and rules for transgender student athletes on special legislative session agenda
Abbott also put border security and restoring funding to the Legislative branch — which he vetoed last month — on the special session agenda. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the surge in immigration in 2021 at a border wall tour accompanied by former President Donald Trump.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune
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