Everything is on the table : Democrats mull options for special session, including another walkout
By PATRICK SVITEK AND CASSANDRA POLLOCK and The Texas Tribune
Published article
Lights indicate votes for various state Representatives on the House floor at the state Capitol on May 28, 2021 Credit: Evan L Roy/The Texas Tribune
AUSTIN, Texas - Outnumbered and virtually powerless to block conservative priorities they oppose, Democrats in the Texas Legislature say they are keeping their options open as they prepare for a special session that is expected to revive the GOP elections bill they killed last month.
The line coming from Democrats across the spectrum: Everything is on the table. That includes another walkout like the one that doomed Senate Bill 7 in the final hours of the regular legislative session when Democrats broke quorum. But this time, such a move could now imperil the pay of their staffers, since Gov. Greg Abbottvetoed the funding for the legislative branch
The entrance to the Waste Control Specialists site, where radioactive and hazardous waste is disposed of and stored in Andrews County. Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
A bill opposed by both environmental and some oil interests that would have given a nuclear waste company in West Texas a big break on state fees failed to receive a vote in the Texas House before a key deadline on Monday.
It was sent back to committee and has failed to be voted out a second time before Monday, the last day House committees could report measures and have a chance of passing.