'I am ready, willing and able': House Democrat says he'd break quorum to stop redistricting

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Less than a week before the start of an 18-topic special session, State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, said he's willing to break quorum to halt a mid-decade redistricting attempt.

Reynolds posted an op-ed called 'On Good Trouble Day, I Refuse to Be Silent," early Thursday afternoon.

"They say everything's bigger in Texas, including the lengths folks will go to hold onto power," Reynolds wrote. "President (Donald) Trump recently called for Texas Republicans to deliver five new congressional seats, and they didn't hesitate. Not by earning more support or expanding their base, but by gerrymandering Black and Brown communities to secure an advantage. The message was clear: manipulate the maps, preserve the power, and silence the people."

Earlier this week, President Trump said he's looking for "just a simple redrawing picking up five seats," in Texas to shore up a small Republican lead in the U.S. House. Currently, the Republicans have a 220-212 majority with three seats vacant.

Reynolds went on to say he's "ready, willing and able to get into good trouble by breaking quorum when justice is on the line," the strongest statement on the topic by a Democratic lawmaker so far.

What is 'quorum breaking'?

The Texas Constitution requires two-thirds attendance (a quorum) for their legislative chambers to conduct business. If they fall short, the chamber has to adjourn until a quorum is present.

Currently, Democrats control 62 of the 150 seats in the Texas House and 11 of the 30 Texas Senate seats (one seat is currently absent). While they don't have enough members to prevent lawmakers from passing legislation with unanimous Republican approval, they do have enough members to prevent any legislation from being brought to the floor — as long as they don't show up.

Democrats have already broken quorum over voter rights and representation multiple times this century. In 2003, Democrats fled the state multiple times to block a redistricting bill, falling short after months of delays. In 2021, Democrats fled to Washington D.C. to block a bill changing election laws, once again only delaying its inevitable passage. House Democrats see quorum breaking as an effective tool within the legal framework of the Texas Constitution.

"(In) a lot of legislative bodies, including the US Congress, a majority makes up a quorum. In Texas, it's two-thirds, and the people who wrote the Constitution back in the 1800s did that for a reason. That's to protect the rights of the political minority," State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington, said. "It's a tool that's used sparingly, but it's one of those things that's always on the table."

The downsides to breaking quorum

After the 2021 quorum break, the Texas House changed their rules to make it harder for members to fail to report for work. Now, members are fined $500 a day and a responsible for the costs incurred by the sergeant-at-arms to secure their attendance (they can find and forcibly bring members to the floor if they're still located within the state).

In addition, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to arrest Democratic lawmakers who attempt to break quorum.

"I'm not going to comment on conversations that we have internally within the Democratic caucus," Turner said about a potential quorum break. The House Democratic Caucus confirmed national Democratic leadership has asked them to consider breaking quorum.

Republican leadership responds

In a statement, Gov. Abbott's Press Secretary Andrew Mahaleris said, "While partisan activists focus solely on political issues, Governor Abbott is dedicated to delivering results on issues important to Texans, such as flood relief, property tax cuts, and the elimination of the STAAR test. The Governor looks forward to the legislature addressing these topics, along with other critical issues, during this special session."

On July 11, Speaker of the House Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick released a joint statement.

“Working with the House, the Texas Senate will move forward on redistricting to pass a legal, constitutional congressional map,” said Lt. Gov. Patrick.

“Texans place their trust in the Legislature to uphold fairness in the redistricting process, and we will continue to work closely together to fulfill this legislative responsibility,” said Speaker Burrows.