Texas House Democrats fined over $9,000 each for 2025 quorum break
AUSTIN, TEXAS - AUGUST 5: Many seats remain empty during the session in the House Chamber at the Capitol in Austin, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. A quorum was not present after most Democrat state representatives left Texas to break quorum and block a vote
AUSTIN, Texas - Texas House Democrats who broke quorum in August 2025 while attempting to stop a Republican-led redistricting effort received letters letting them know they would face fines.
Fines and financial breakdown
What we know:
In the letter addressed to Minority Leader of the Texas House of Representatives, Rep. Gene Wu, Texas House of Representatives Committee's House Administration Chair, Rep. Charlie Geren, confirmed the House of Representatives would fine Representatives $9,354.25 each for their two-week quorum break.
The fines include a $500 per day penalty over the 14-day quorum break, totaling $7,000 per member. House Democrats also face an additional $2,354.25 fine. Rep. Geren says that penalty pays for the $124,940.08 spent attempting to compel members’ attendance.
Redistricting and the quorum break
The backstory:
Democrats left the state in an attempt to block the redrawn Texas congressional maps that were eventually passed on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2026, in an 88-52 vote.
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Fines are being assessed under rules enacted in 2023, after the Texas House Democrats members broke quorum after leaving the state for 38 days to block GOP voting restrictions in 2021. Those rules prohibit members from using campaign funds or fundraising to pay the fines, forcing them to pay out-of-pocket.
Texas Democrats leave state to break quorum and stop GOP voting bill
Dozens of House Democratic lawmakers are in Washington, D.C. to stop a voting bill in the current special session ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Democratic response
What they're saying:
In a news release by the Texas House Democrats on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, Chair Rep. Gene Wu referred to the redistricting map and once again explained the reasoning for breaking quorum in August 2025.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - AUGUST 18: Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, holds his permission slip, granting him permission to leave the House Chamber, after the session ended for the day at the Capitol in Austin, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (Jay Janner/Austin American-States
"We broke quorum because Governor Abbott held flood victims' hostage for his intentionally racist map designed to steal the voices of millions of Black and Latino Texans," said Texas House of Representatives Minority Leader Rep. Gene Wu.
"Faced with Republican inaction on flooding and voting rights, we took action, and every day we were gone, we did exactly what our constituents wanted us to do: fight for them. Breaking quorum is a constitutional right, and we will use every tool available to challenge these fines."
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Texas House Democratic Caucus and previous FOX 7 reporting.