Texas Democrats' protest over redistricting delays flood disaster legislation

TX Democrats' quorum break delays disaster legislation

Texas House Democrats have fled the state to prevent a vote on a new congressional redistricting map, effectively stalling other legislative priorities, including bills related to a deadly July 4th flood.

Now that Texas House Democrats have broken quorum, Republicans have filed multiple bills in response to the deadly 4th of July flood.

Action cannot be taken on any bill that makes it out of committee until Democrats return.

What we know:

Texas Democrats have successfully broken quorum in the house, for a second day, in an attempt to stall a vote on the proposed congressional redistricting map. 

While the house did not have a quorum to conduct business, the disaster preparedness and flooding committee did. 

What they're saying:

"There will be other bills, ideas are being crafted as we speak," said Texas Rep. Ken King, who serves as Chairman of the State Affairs Committee.

More than 130 people died in the July 4th disaster. Dozens were children at Camp Mystic, a summer camp in Kerr County.

While Democrats protest redistricting, Republicans are contending that they are stalling other legislation. Despite Republicans filing priority legislation on a flood response on Monday.

Dig deeper:

Of the five bills being considered on Tuesday, House Bill 18 would provide funding for the operation of emergency communication systems.

"Some of our camps were wholly unprepared for any flooding event," said Texas Rep. Drew Darby.

House Bill 19, written by Rep. Darby, would require flood disaster plans for campgrounds. 

"If the division determines a plan is insufficient, because it will likely fail during an emergency, the campground has 90 days to make revisions and re-submit the plan," said Rep. Darby.

Another bill would require more training for certain first responders.

One common theme is timely notification with the addition of warning sirens in flood-prone areas. 

The other side:

A Democratic State Representative out of El Paso, Joe Moody, did not break quorum and attended the hearing. He thinks Gov. Abbott has the power to do some of these things through executive action. 

"I think the committee is doing everything they can do but if there are tasks here that can be done during executive action. Like we saw during COVID, that was done by the governor and the governor alone," said Texas Rep. Joe Moody.

What's next:

It’s unclear if the bills will be voted out today. If they are, nothing can happen on the house floor until a quorum is met.