The Texas House of Representatives reached a quorum Thursday for the first time since nearly 60 Democratic lawmakers fled Austin to stall a vote on a controversial election reform bill.
The legislators’ unprecedented nearly six week decampment to Washington, DC to lobby for federal voting reforms, created a standoff with GOP officials who issued warrants for the arrest of the runaway pols.
Democrats started trickling back to the statehouse last week, but on Thursday enough lawmakers returned to meet the body’s 100-member threshold for a vote, according to The Texas Tribune.
The quorum was secured in dramatic fashion as Democrats Armando Walle and Ana Hernandez pushed wheelchair-bound Rep. Garnet Coleman onto the floor of the House Thursday, the paper reported.
The stage is now set for a vote on the GOP bill, which Democrats have been trying to block since May, contending it would infringe on the ability of minorities to cast ballots in The Lone Star State.
“It’s time to get back to the business of the people of Texas,” House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican, reportedly said, as a slew of bills were referred to committees. “I appreciate every one of you. I’m looking forward to working with you over the coming week or two.”
The House adjourned in the evening and will reconvene on Monday, according to the report....