Texas Senate Passes Redistricting Bill

On Tuesday, August 12, the Texas Senate passed their version of a redistricting bill, which is essentially identical to the one stalled in the Texas House that radically transforms the congressional districts within the state. The bill passed by a 19-2 margin after nine Senate Democrats walked out of the Senate floor.

Those Senate Democrats had attempted to steer debate on a flood relief bill, but instead their efforts were ignored in favor of redistricting. Texas Signal spoke with Sen. Roland Gutierrez shortly after he joined his colleagues in leaving the Senate floor. He told the Signal that Senate Democrats had been talking about their strategy for several days. “We weren’t going to continue this farce, this sham with our Republican colleagues,” he said.

As for the two Democrats who remained on the floor (Zaffirini and Hinojosa), Gutierrez said it had been “very clear” that they were not willing to break quorum. Just one more senator walking out would have prevented a quorum from being reached.

For now, Gutierrez says he and his colleagues are looking at all sorts of angles to potentially stop redistricting. If it appears a quorum will not be reached by Friday, both Speaker Burrows and Lt. Governor Patrick (who heads the Senate) will likely call a sine die. Governor Abbott has already said that he is prepared to immediately call another special session as soon as the weekend, and that furthermore he is willing to call as “many special sessions as possible” until his agenda is passed. “No special session is the same, and no set of strategies is the same,” noted Gutierrez about potential future actions.

Gutierrez also takes issue with what the special session has devolved into, and specifically that it’s not addressing the pressing issues facing so many Texans, including flood relief but also better access to health care and preventing gun violence. “We are just wasting our time on this [garbage] for Donald Trump,” said the state senator (though with far more colorful language). 

When asked about the recent statements and actions from Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, like filing lawsuits to try and vacate Texas House Democrats from their seats or pursuing a contempt charge against Beto O’Rourke (as Paxton did earlier today), Gutierrez sees it as performative theater. “All they want to do is one-up themselves and have one be tougher than the next,” he noted.

What comes next for both the Senate Democrats and House Democrats remains to be seen. But for Sen. Gutierrez the threats coming from the White House are clear. “This is the most corrupt president in the history of the United States, and I don’t say that lightly,” he warned. And while he wishes that the Senate Democratic Caucus could be united, he still vowed that he and his willing colleagues will use “everything in our power” to change the status quo.