Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is preparing to call a second special session to address redistricting if a quorum is not met in the Texas House of Representatives by Friday.
Dozens of Democratic state representatives in Texas have stalled the GOP-led push for new congressional maps that could result in as many as five new Republican seats in the US Congress.
The current special session to address redistricting, flood relief and other issues is set to end on August 19, with Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows setting a Friday deadline for Democrats to return to meet quorum.
If a quorum is not reached by then, the Texas House and Senate will “sine die the session,” marking the end of the special session, Burrows said. The governor’s office said the new special session would begin that same day.
“With the Texas House and Senate today announcing they are prepared to sine die on Friday, I will call the Texas Legislature back immediately for Special Session #2,” Abbott said in a statement.
“The Special Session #2 agenda will have the exact same agenda, with the potential to add more items critical to Texans. There will be no reprieve for the derelict Democrats who fled the state and abandoned their duty to the people who elected them. I will continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed.”
The announcement came shortly after the Texas House of Representatives failed to meet a quorum when it reconvened on Tuesday morning. There were only 95 members present in the chamber, five short of the attendance required to meet quorum.
“If the devastation our hill country communities, the Texas Constitution and their mounting debt aren’t enough to bring them back today, they should yet again be reminded this is not going away,” Burrows said. “The work is not going away, and the pressure on them will only grow.”
The Texas House will reconvene at 10 a.m. CT on Friday to try to reach quorum once again. Burrows asked lawmakers to be within six hours of the state capitol on Wednesday and Thursday in case there are indications a quorum could be reached on those days.
The latest failed attempt to reach a quorum on Tuesday escalates a gerrymandering arms race that began when President Donald Trump last month pushed Texas Republicans to redraw districts.
The effort could cushion the GOP against losses in the 2026 midterm elections.
“We said we would defeat Abbott’s first corrupt special session, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” said state Rep. Gene Wu, the House Democratic caucus chair, in a statement. “Stop playing political games, stop pretending to be sheriff, and finally get to work on behalf of Texas families.”
Texas officials have attempted multiple tactics to bring back the state representatives in order to reach quorum, as well as sought to work around the Democrats’ absence.
Burrows said this week he asked the Texas Department of Public Safety to establish a tip line for the public to provide information about the whereabouts of absent House Democrats. US Sen. John Cornyn said he has enlisted help from FBI Director Kash Patel to assist state law enforcement in tracking down the absent lawmakers.
Abbott has also threatened vacancies and asked the state’s Supreme Court to declare vacant Wu’s seat, after he fled to Chicago with other state representatives.
Texas Democrats face financial pressure to return. Absent lawmakers are subject to a fine of $500 per day, and they cannot use their campaign or official funds to cover the penalties.
Meanwhile, the Texas Senate passed the GOP-friendly maps on Tuesday. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Senate, said in a statement that the chamber was ready to return for a second special session to vote on the maps again.
CNN’s Shania Shelton contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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