Abbott calls next special session 2 hours after Democrats maintain quorum break
House members gaveled in at noon to begin the second called special session. The roll call showed 97 members present, three short of the quorum needed to conduct legislative business.
The Governor's call came less than an hour after the Texas House officially ended its first special session Friday morning, with Speaker Dustin Burrows moving to adjourn 'sine die' at 10:03 a.m. as Democrats failed to provide the quorum needed to conduct legislative business, leaving only 95 members present.
'Delinquent House Democrats ran away from their responsibility to pass crucial legislation to benefit the lives of Texans,' Governor Abbott wrote in a news release announcing the second special session. He cited legislation in response to the deadly July flooding as a key example. His statement did not mention redistricting, which sparked the quorum break, though the Governor did include the item on the special session agenda.
'Do not go very far,' Burrows told the House members present before making the motion to formally end the session.
Emerson College Poll shows how Texas voters feel about redistricting, Senate race
The brief session marked the sixth consecutive failed attempt to reach the 100-member quorum needed for the House to function, as Democratic lawmakers remained out of state to block Republican redistricting plans that would add five GOP seats to Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Governor Greg Abbott has promised to immediately call a second special session, potentially expanding his agenda beyond the current 18 items to include additional conservative priorities.
'I will continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed,' Abbott said Tuesday, setting up what has now become a prolonged political standoff between Republican leadership and absent Democrats who fled to Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts earlier this month.
Texas House Democrats took to social media moments after the special session ended. 'After we issued our conditions to return home yesterday, Texas Republicans have given in and ended their corrupt special session,' the Texas House Democrats said in a post on X.
State Rep. Wes Virdell, R – Brady, represents the flood victims in Kerr County. The first special session agenda included items to provide flood relief to victims and pass legislation on emergency preparedness.
'It's incredibly disappointing,' Virdell said after sine die. 'We have people who need resources right now. We have some funding in some of those bills that I think will be critical.'
Republican House members gathered for a caucus meeting after the end of session. Virdell said he will be pushing for stricter punishments for lawmakers who break quorum. Those punishments include loss of seniority, loss of vice chairmanships, loss of office budget, and possible expulsion for whoever lead the movement.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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