Members of the Texas state House voted 76-4 to deploy law enforcement to track down and arrest 58 Democrat members who fled the state to break quorum to prevent a vote on a Republican-backed election bill. The House members voted on two motions brought by Rep. Will Metcalf, chair of the House Administration Committee to record present session members, ban members in attendance from leaving the chamber without first obtaining approval, and enable “the sergeant at arms, or officers appointed by him, send for all absentees … under warrant of arrest if necessary.” Texas law requires a two-thirds quorum of the 150-member House body to approve legislation, which it just falls short of without the 58 Democrat members.
Remember the Oregon thread? I think that rounding people up to get a quorum, albeit quite funny if done Texas style, is wrong, and should be illegal. What does NSG think? To get the discussion going, I'll fire up a few comments from the Oregon thread:
San Lumen wrote:House Speaker... called the walkout “a crisis for our democracy. This is not a game. Voters elected us to do our job. The members who refuse to show up and do their jobs are saying to a large majority of Oregonians: your vote doesn’t matter.”
Many important bills have yet to be brought up for a vote with just two week remaining in the session. Governor Brown has said she might call the legislature back for a special session in the late spring.
I agree with the sentiments of the Governor and House Speaker. Everyone in the legislature was elected to do a job and if you will not do that job then resign. Show up and debate the bill or simply vote no. Rendering government inoperable is a dereliction of their duty and a violation of their oath of office. The Republicans in the legislature represent only 36 percent of the population and are acting like spoiled children and they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Lumen clearly disagree with me, so I wanted to give his rational for supporting the Republicans in Texas. So which one of us is right in the case of Texas? NSG, sound off!