By Rita Cook
Correspondent
Texas Metro News
AUSTIN – Here we go again.
Round two of the special sessions in Austin.
The Texas Legislative Session number one was not supposed to end so early in August. However, since there has been no quorum since August 3 when 51 of the Democrats left Austin in protest of the state’s redistricting, the first special session adjourned this past Friday.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott then immediately called a second special session to begin the same day, at noon.
This special session, like all special sessions, can only run for 30 days. If nothing gets done again other than the wasting of taxpayers’ dollars a third special session will likely be called as well.
Abbott released a second special session proclamation and said “We will not back down from this fight. That is why I am calling them [the Texas Legislature] back today to finish the job. I will continue to use all necessary tools to ensure Texas delivers results for Texans.”
While there is much work to be done that was not completed in the 89th Texas Legislative Session that adjoined back in June, the Texas House is at a standstill without a quorum.
While this second special session being called will end the House Democrats two-week long absence, it could still be a standstill if the same lawmakers do not return for session number two.
The idea by the blue to leave the state last session was to stop the passage of the redistricted map, which could mean the possibility of the red winning up to five new seats in Texas.
Reportedly Houston’s Democratic Rep. Ann Johnson was the first to announce she would be returning to Austin for the special session.
“We broke quorum to protect the Constitution, to defend fair representation, and to stop a racist and rigged process in its tracks – and we succeeded,” Johnson said in a statement. “Now with that [first special] session behind us, I’m returning to Texas to continue the fight – from the floor of the House.”
Many Texas on both sides of the aisle do believe the “fight” as Johnson called it, needs to be handled on the House floor like adults.
To that end Gov. Abbott has also made it clear he will continue to call as many special sessions as needed for the redistricting map to be passed.
The head of the Texas House Democrats, Houston’s Gene Wu said last week the Democrats would return if the first special session was adjoined sine die on Friday and if California is allowed to gerrymander a new redistricting map to offset what Texas’ redistricting map suggests.
Wu believes Democrats across the nation in blue states can now redistrict their maps to allow for blue seats taking away red seats in other states to counteract Texas’ red move.
If California plans to redistrict, it will first have to go to voters to decide in a special election.
Illinois and California are also in discussion to redraw their maps. However, New York will not be allowed to redistrict for another two years.
Texas Democratic Party Chairperson Kendall Scudder said, “If the Texas Democrats hadn’t done this, then those blue states would not be taking action right now.”
