Texas Democrat says she's locked inside state Capitol after refusing mandatory DPS escort

[ad_1] Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier from Fort Price returned to the Texas Capitol on Monday however says she stays locked contained in the Capitol as a result of she would not signal a permission slip to be underneath escort by the Texas Division of Public Security.

The escorts for all Home Democrats who left the state of Texas final month — stopping a vote on a GOP-led redistricting effort — are meant as a assure that they'll return to the Home by 10 a.m. Wednesday for the following particular session.

CBS Information Texas spoke with Collier by way of Zoom on Monday, and he or she mentioned the state of affairs is incorrect — identical to the brand new Congressional maps she and different Democrats have tried to dam from being handed.

"I've a proper to withstand, I've a proper to oppose, identical to my voters do, identical to Texans have a proper to problem authorities, and that is what I am doing. I am difficult these choices which might be being made. I do not agree with them," mentioned Collier.

She continued, including, "All of the Democrats might be working collectively to get that authorized report set in order that we will take this struggle to the courtroom."

Collier additionally mentioned that, in response to DPS, she should keep within the Home chambers or inside her workplace on the Capitol.

CBS Information Texas has reached out to DPS for remark.

Texas Democrat says she's locked inside state Capitol after refusing obligatory DPS escort

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In a press release, the Texas Home Democratic Caucus mentioned the police escorts had been the "newest Republican tactic to watch and management Democratic lawmakers following their profitable quorum break."

Collier and dozens of different Home Democrats who returned to the Capitol on Monday obtained a Texas-sized welcome from their supporters as they walked from the rotunda into the Home chamber minutes earlier than the Home session started round midday.

The Democrats had fled to blue states earlier this month after President Trump steered the state ought to redraw its U.S. Home district maps to safe extra Republican seats. The Democrats had remained out of the state to disclaim Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott a quorum, briefly derailing a particular legislative session that the governor known as to reshape the state's congressional maps.

The GOP-led redistricting effort would create 5 extra Republican-leaning Home seats forward of the 2026 midterms. Republicans presently have a slim majority within the Home.

As a result of the Democrats broke quorum for 2 weeks, there weren't sufficient Home members to carry the particular session. On Monday, there have been 120 members current on the ground, however 30 had been nonetheless absent.

Rep. Gene Wu, the Home Democratic Caucus chair, mentioned their efforts to dam the potential 5 Republican-leaning seats have now moved into their second section, the authorized section.

On Monday night, the Home Choose Committee on Congressional Redistricting permitted the brand new maps alongside get together traces by a 12-8 margin. The laws goes to the total Home which might vote on the maps as early as Wednesday.