Democrat Member Faces Major Problem For Avoiding Vote Involving Election Reforms
A warrant has been issued by the Texas Speaker of the House of Representatives for the arrest of a Democrat who fled to Washington, D.C. to dodge a special session. The San Antonio Democrat went to Washington, D.C. with other lawmakers to break quorum and prevent the House from voting on election reform legislation.
According to the Texas Tribune, Speaker of the House Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) issued a civil arrest warrant for State Representative Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio) on Monday for failing to return to the House of Representatives. When Cortez suddenly returned to Texas late last week, he abandoned his fellow Democrats. Cortez said that he returned to Austin to participate in a “good faith dialogue” over House Bill 3, the election law reform bill.
Cortez returned to Washington, D.C. after facing severe criticism from other Democrats for returning to Austin without informing them. The House Urban Affairs Committee is presently headed by the San Antonio Democrat.
Speaker Phelan released a statement in which he said Cortez had “irrevocably broken my trust and the chamber’s trust.”
Cortez “represented to me and his fellow members that he wanted to work on policy and find solutions to bring his colleagues back to Texas,” according to the speaker.
Phelan commanded the sergeant-at-arms or "any officer appointed by him" to take Rep. Philip Cortez into custody as he cited his constitutional authority to do so.https://t.co/GOxRR5VkZE
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) July 27, 2021
“As a condition of being granted permission to temporarily leave the House floor, Rep. Cortez promised his House colleagues that he would return. Instead, he fled the state,” Phalen said.
In his own statement on Monday, Cortez evaded the speaker’s remarks and the subject of the arrest warrant. He says he has a “duty to my constituents to do everything I can to stop this harmful legislation.” He did not specify anything in the law is bad.
Speaker Phelan’s warrant seems to be more symbolic than substantial. According to the Austin American-Stateman, the warrant will not be executed as long as the Democrat lawmaker is out of state.
State Rep. Philip Cortez – who left DC for Austin earlier in the week to negotiate the House elections bill – has returned to DC: pic.twitter.com/uZrhqHj94P
— Christian Flores (@CFloresNews) July 26, 2021
_______________________________________________
Download ‘The Scoop TV’ video streaming app, the Conservative Alternative to Netflix!
- If you have an iPhone, click here to download the iPhone app from the Apple App Store.
- Or if you have an Android phone, click here to download the Android app from the Google Play Store
