Texas Democrat stays in House chamber overnight after refusing DPS surveillance

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas House is adjourned until Wednesday morning, but one Democrat is staying in the chamber, staging a protest that’s gaining attention.

On Monday, Republicans in the Texas House forced returning Democrats to sign what the Democrats called “permission slips,” agreeing to around-the-clock surveillance by state Department of Public Safety officers to leave the floor. The move came after some Democratic lawmakers left the state earlier this month, denying their Republican colleagues the attendance necessary to vote on redrawn maps intended to send five more Texas Republicans to Washington.

After ending their walkout, Democrats at the Texas Capitol on Monday were met with the Republican-led effort.

House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) ordered the doors to the chamber to be locked before the House adjourned Monday. He said that members needed written permission to leave the chamber, but he added an extra step for Democrats who broke quorum and had arrest warrants issued: The Speaker said those members would be granted written permission to leave only after agreeing to be released into the custody of a designated Department of Public Safety officer who will ensure they return to the House on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Democratic Rep. Nicole Collier, of Fort Worth, however, refused to sign the slip and remained on the House floor Monday night.

“I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts,” Collier stated in a news release.

Texas Democrats highlighted her protest, sending out a news release stating that Collier was locked in the chamber, “detained as political prisoner.” The Texas House Democratic Caucus set up a livestream of Collier remaining on the House floor and offered reporters live interviews with the representative.

At one point, supporters gathered outside the chamber chanting, “Let her go!” A social media post by the Texas House Democrats showed video of a group of activists appearing to be arrested outside the House chamber.

Other Texas Democrats have taken to social media, posting pictures and videos with Collier to show support.

Late Monday, NBC News reported that Collier had been told she can leave the House floor to go to her office, which is located in another part of the Capitol. She reportedly cannot leave the building without a DPS escort.

Early into Collier’s protest, the Texas House committee on redistricting voted out of committee a new version of a bill with proposed new congressional maps. The committee vote sets the stage for the full House to consider the redistricting legislation, where it is expected to pass.

The maps are designed to boost Republican representation in the Texas congressional delegation. The push for the redistricting legislation comes after President Donald Trump called on Texas leaders to redraw voting lines to gain five Republican seats in Congress during the mid-term elections.

State Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, defended the plan to boost Republican representation.

“The U.S. Supreme Court … says that jurisdictions may engage in constitutional political gerrymandering, recognizing that politics and political considerations are inseparable from districting and apportionment,” Hunter said before Monday’s committee vote.

The maps will likely push out Congressman Marc Veasey, a Democrat who represents the area that includes much of Collier’s state house district. Collier believes the maps will have a negative impact on her constituents.

“My community is majority-minority, and they expect me to stand up for their representation. When I press that button to vote, I know these maps will harm my constituents,” Collier stated in a news release.

“My constituents sent me to Austin to protect their voices and rights,” Collier added.

Trump has pressured other Republican-run states to consider redistricting, as well, while Democratic governors in multiple statehouses have indicated they would follow California’s lead in response. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said his state will hold a Nov. 4 special referendum on the redrawn districts.

The president wants to shore up Republicans’ narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of the midterms during his first presidency. After gaining House control in 2018, Democrats used their majority to stymie his agenda and twice impeach him.

Nationally, the partisan makeup of existing district lines puts Democrats within three seats of a majority. Of the 435 total House seats, only several dozen districts are competitive. So even slight changes in a few states could affect which party wins control.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.