AUSTIN— Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the Texas Supreme Court to remove 13 of the more than 50 House Democrats who fled the state to break quorum and effectively halt the special session to prevent a mid-decade redistricting plan, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
“These cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold,” Paxton said in a statement. “Their out-ofstate rebellion cannot go unchecked, and the business of Texas must go on.”
Gov. Greg Abbott took a similar action against state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, who is chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Paxton is seeking to remove state Reps. Ron Reynolds; Vikki Goodwin; Gina Hinojosa; James Talarico; Lulu Flores; Mihaela Plesa; Suleman Lalani; Chris Turner; Ana-Maria Ramos; Jessica Gonzalez; John Bucy III; and Christina Morales.
Paxton said he targeted those members because they “made incriminating public statements regarding their refusal to return.”
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said the FBI has agreed to help locate the Democrats, who have appeared in Chicago, New York, and Boston, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
The FBI would only assist in finding the Democrats and would not apprehend them, Cornyn said. The members have held several press conferences and aren’t exactly keeping their whereabouts a secret. They left the state via a chartered plane on Aug. 3.
SENATE PANEL ADVANCES BILL SWAPPING STAAR FOR THREE TESTS.
While the House is unable to meet with the Democrats out of state, the Senate is still in special session. A Senate panel has unanimously advanced a proposal to swap the end-of-year standardized test, called STAAR, for the three shorter tests administered throughout the school year, according to the Texas Standard.
The STAAR test has been widely criticized by parents and teachers for putting enormous pressure on students. Teachers have complained about having to spend too much time preparing students to take the STAAR.
A companion bill has been filed in the House as well. An effort to pass a similar measure during the regular session failed.
The tests would be shorter than the current test, which can last three hours. The turnaround for the shorter tests would be much faster than it is for STAAR — just two business days.
RIVER AUTHORITY PLEDGES $1.5 MILLION FOR FLOOD PROTECTION.
The Upper Guadalupe River Authority has pledged to spend at least $1.5 million on flood protection and mitigation measures after a Houston Chronicle investigation revealed it had delayed upgrading its flood warning system, opting instead to keep at least $3 million in reserve.
The announcement came at a legislative hearing in Kerrville, at which the UGRA has been roundly criticized for not acting earlier.
“It was recognized through studies that you paid for that there was a need for an early warning system,” State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, told Bill Rector, president of the authority’s board. “And yet you didn’t do anything about it.”
The UGRA’s entire board was appointed by Abbott. It is one of the very few river authorities that has the power to levy taxes. That drew the attention of state Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian.
“So you’re not accountable to the voters of Kerr County, even though you’re taxing them?” asked King, who chairs the House committee on flood recovery. Rector acknowledged that was the case.
DEADLINE APPROACHINGTO APPLY FOR FLOOD DAMAGE AID.
Property owners, businesses, renters and others affected by the July Hill Country floods have until Sept. 4 to apply for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the Express-News.
Heavy rains triggered flooding along the Guadalupe River, killing at least 119 people. Another
