Texas’ 89th Legislative Special Session Starts Monday, July 21

TEXAS – As Hill Country families still search for missing loved ones, Governor Greg Abbott is prioritizing a political power grab and taking hostage flood infrastructure and warning systems that could have saved lives—while withholding executive orders that could propose solutions immediately. Instead, he chooses to play into Trump’s redistricting charade, meant to add a slim majority of three to five additional Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives at the cost of voting power for people of color, in some of the most diverse districts in the state.

Democrats looking to get caught trying can leave the state, breaking quorum, but this comes with a high price tag. A 2023 state law would impose a $500 per day fine on each member who isn’t in attendance during the Special Session. At minimum, outside of travel and security costs, and with 51 House members absent, this would cost $25,500 per day. Advocacy Manager Reagan Stone said, “This is the definition of a rock and a hard place, and while 90 percent of success is showing up, the caveat in this expensive dilemma is where should Democratic lawmakers show up through next week’s GOP fabricated crisis.”

Advocacy and Development Coordinator Tatum Owens said, “Don’t let ‘Dummymandering’ distract you. Trump and Abbott want to dilute the voting power of Black and brown Texans, all in the name of partisan games, because they know they cannot win without changing the rules of engagement. While some believe Texas Republicans could spread their majority too thin, no matter the percentage split, or resources spent, the result is the same: voters will be segregated by race and region to produce a Republican win—if they succeed.”

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