Texas Democrats Rip Up Permission Slips, Stand Ground Against Controversial Redistricting Plan, as Vice President Harris Offers Support
Texas House Democrats, led by Rep. Nicole Collier, tore up the agreements that permitted them to leave the chamber with a police escort on Tuesday night, according to a caucus announcement. The lawmakers chose to remain on the House floor for the duration of the night.
Collier has been in the chamber for over 24 hours, having initially refused to sign the “permission slip” to depart. House Republicans mandated the requirement for Democrats, who faced potential civil arrest warrants due to leaving the state during a special session, upon their return from a 15-day quorum break.
The Democrats’ exodus earlier this month aimed to prevent a vote on a contentious redistricting plan backed by former President Donald Trump that might potentially result in the elimination of five Democratic US House seats.
“Who’s prepared to tear up this slip?” asked state Rep. Mihaela Plesa on Tuesday, as she destroyed the agreement before the doors to the House chamber.
State Rep. Penny Morales Shaw expressed regret for entering into the agreement upon her return to the Houston area under police escort, stating she was now “correcting course.”
“Yesterday, I left in custody and returned in custody because I stand with Nicole Collier and Gene Wu,” Shaw said. “This is illegitimate, this is an abuse of power, and I will not condone it. I do not want to set a damaging precedent for future legislators.”
State Rep. Gene Wu, who heads Texas Democrats in the House, has joined Collier on the chamber floor for much of the past day.
“This is a civil debate, and in order to win, the opposing side is willing to use force — to employ the state’s resources to achieve their objectives. Good guys don’t do that,” Wu told CNN’s Pamela Brown on “The Lead.”
Plesa and Morales Shaw were joined by Reps. Rhetta Bowers, Cassandra Garcia Hernandez, and Senfronia Thompson. Additional Democrats may rejoin the House floor on Tuesday night.
“Why would we be deemed a flight risk if we willingly entered the chamber?” Bowers questioned. “This is a clear violation of our rights as Texans, Americans, and elected officials.”
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows stipulated that Democrats could only leave the House floor if they received written permission and agreed to be under the supervision of a Department of Public Safety officer until the chamber reconvenes on Wednesday morning. All Democrats who were present consented at the time, except for Collier.
“Rep. Collier’s decision to stay and not sign the permission slip is within her rights according to House Rules,” Burrows stated earlier on Tuesday. The Republican House speaker stated he would rather focus on important legislation. CNN reached out to the speaker’s office for comment.
Although the protest action draws attention to their redistricting battle, Texas House Democrats have limited legislative options to prevent the new congressional maps from being passed. The Texas House aims to vote on the measure after reconvening at 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, but the passage timeline remains uncertain.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Kamala Harris reached out to Collier on Tuesday to express support.
“Just moments ago, I received a call from Vice President Kamala Harris,” Collier told CNN’s Dana Bash on “The Arena” while speaking from the House floor. “She said, ‘Keep going.’ She said, ‘Don’t give up. Stand strong. Stand tall, and don’t back down.'”
Harris called to check in on Collier and encourage her to continue fighting for what’s right, even if she’s doing it alone, an aide to Harris explained. “Know that we’re with you every step of the way,” Harris said, according to the aide.
Collier denounced the restrictions on the Democrats’ movements, calling them “un-American” and “wrong.” She also defended the efforts of Texas Democrats to delay the partisan redistricting push, stating that “we have exercised our constitutional right to deny a quorum. And there’s nothing illegal about it.”