Texas Democratic house members are being sought by Texas law enforcement

San Antonio Express News ^ | 5/12/03 | Guillermo X. Garcia

[Texas Gal]

Quoting the first paragraph only:

"AUSTIN — More than 50 Democratic House members, intent on breaking a legislative quorum, shut down the House today after leaving Texas on Sunday night to hide out until the end of the week."

[Texas Gal]

I think I heard that there were 52 of them who had made a run for it. Maybe it's time for a new deck of cards? :-) I llooked for this but could not find it posted, thought it was kind of interesting. Some of the Democratic house members are saying they will leave the state to avoid being apprehended.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

“I guess we will be called obstructionists, or maybe worse. But we are making a statement,” the South Texas legislator said. “If this is going to be the only way to stop bad legislation from being rammed down our throats, then so be it.”

It has never stopped tham before!

Rabid Dem's

[The South Texan]

Texas House Democrats break quorum
By CONNIE MABIN Associated Press Writer
May 12, 2003

AUSTIN- More than 50 Democrats _ enough to break the quorum needed to do Texas House business _ did not show up Monday morning when the House convened, prompting Republican Speaker Tom Craddick to order state police officers to find them.

The walkout, which coincides with the scheduled debate for a divisive congressional redistricting bill, halted House business.

Partisan tension has been building all legislative session. Republicans and Democrats have clashed over a no-new-taxes budget, sweeping lawsuit limitation legislation and most recently, a push by the GOP leadership to redraw congressional voting lines to favor Republicans.

Before the House session began, Tamara Bell, chief of staff for House Democratic Caucus Chairman Jim Dunnam of Waco, provided copies of 53 letters that informed parliamentarian Steve Collins to lock the voting machines of the absent Democrats.

"I do not know where they are," Bell said.

Bell said she was informed this morning after her boss called her from his cellular phone that the Democrats would not report to work.

It was not immediately clear why some Democrats did not participate in the walkout, but many of those present were aligned with GOP House Speaker Tom Craddick. There are 88 Republicans in the House for a total of 150 members.

The Texas House cannot convene without at least two-thirds of the membership, or 100 members, present on the House floor under legislative rules.

Craddick has alerted the Texas Department of Public Safety about the walkout.

"If they bust the quorum he (Craddick) is going to put a call on the House. That means they lock the House down. Everybody's got to stay inside. They send the DPS out to look for these guys," said Craddick spokesman Bob Richter.

Craddick did not immediately speak with reporters.

Those present in the House, which Craddick locked down so that no legislator could leave, asked that those not present be arrested and returned to the chamber.

Several of the organizers of the walkout told The Associated Press that the action was planned as retaliation against the Legislature's Republican leadership.

The lawmakers were preparing for the trip Sunday night and were packing clothes to allow them to stay away for four days, a legislative source told the AP on condition of anonymity. That would be until the deadline for preliminary passage of House bills in the House.

The plan by Democratic House members, if successful, would derail and likely kill major pending bills that have been termed a priority by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Richter said a special legislative session likely would have to be held immediately after the regular session ends June 2. However, Richter said that Craddick was speaking with GOP Gov. Rick Perry, who would have to call a special session.

Several of the legislators who planned to be absent said they were expecting the worst.

Legislative leaders have three weeks left in the regular session and major pieces of legislation still pending. The breaking of a quorum hasn't been used in more than 20 years as a parliamentary maneuver, officials said.

Twenty-four years ago this month, a group of 12 Texas state senators defied then-Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby by refusing to show up at the Capitol. The "Killer Bees," as the 12 came to be known, hid out in a west Austin garage apartment while Department of Public Safety troopers, Texas Rangers and legislative sergeants-at-arms unsuccessfully combed the state for them.

The latest group of quorum-busters planned to leave the state to avoid having state police detain them and forcibly return them to the House floor, if necessary.

One Democrat, who left a voice mail message with an AP reporter, sounded disoriented and was unsure about what time it was.

As the House clerk called roll to verify who was present, at least one Democrat, Rep. Ron Wilson of Houston, showed up. When he entered wearing dark sunglasses and a black denim jacket, Craddick chuckled.

Carlos Truan, one of the original Senate "Killer Bees," told the San Antonio Express-News that such drastic tactics aren't for the faint of heart.

"They better be prepared to pay the political consequences for their actions, because there will be a hell of a price to pay," said Truan of Corpus Christi, who no longer serves in the Senate. "Breaking a quorum is a very, very major thing."

[sphinx]

Once upon a time, while in the state legislature, Abe Lincoln jumped out of a window to prevent a quorum being present. (This was after the Dems locked the doors to keep the Whigs in.) Don't think he hid out in the hills though.

[Robe]

I seem to remember a few years back the this happened also.. But they didn't leave the state.
I also recall that the reason they didn't leave was that there is a provision in the Texas Constitution that stipulates that is could be deemed that they were abandoning their seats and could be replaced by appointment or something similar

[cajunman]

Arrest and lock'em all up.

[2timothy3.16]

"If they bust the quorum he (Craddick) is going to put a call on the House. That means they lock the House down. Everybody's got to stay inside. They send the DPS out to look for these guys," said Craddick spokesman Bob Richter.

We could sure use this guy as majority leader of the US Senate!

[FITZ]

Craddick decries actions of "Chicken Ds"

El Paso House members join walkout


AP / Austin American-Statesman


AUSTIN - More than 50 Democratic Texas House members, including those from El Paso, did not show up to work today, forcing Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick to issue arrest orders and effectively shut down House business.

The action by the Democrats, which comes at a crucial time on several issues, is in response to redistricting efforts that could mean a loss of four to seven Democratic seats. Those efforts were called for by U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who wants Texas lawmakers to reopen the drawing of political boundaries. Although Texas is a Republican state, with Republicans holding all 29 statewide political offices, only 15 of the state's 32 congressional seats.

The House cannot meet to consider business unless two-thirds, or 100 members, are on the House floor.

Craddick responded defiantly to the Democrats' flight.

"The chicken Ds that did this ought to be ashamed of themselves today, and that's what they are .... Chicken Ds," Craddick said.

It was not known where the legislators were, but rumors persisted that many had left the state, possibly New Mexico, Oklahoma or Louisiana, to avoid arrest.

The only member of the El Paso delegation to attend today's legislative session was Republican Pat Haggerty.

Paul Moreno, one of the boycotting House members, said he left Texas destined for New Mexico right as the arrest warrants for him and his peers were being issued.

"I'm in the state of New Mexico now and pretty soon I'll be in the Republic of Mexico," Moreno said Monday.

Moreno said he walked out of the session because, among other issues, the Republicans in their redistricting attempt "have completely stepped on the lives of the children, the handicapped and the elderly."

"We have to show the Republicans that we are going to stop you one way or the other," he said. "... It's amazing what principle makes you do, but we have to do this. They just can't step over the rights of people that need help in Texas. They (constituents) need to know that there are people who are willing to go to jail to protect them."

Craddick said he is not aware where the Democrats went into hiding. Apparently Democrats who have crossed state lines are not immune from arrest by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers.

"There's a deal done this morning that allows (DPS troopers) to reach across state lines," Craddick said. He did not elaborate.

Moreno declined to say whether the state representatives have meet in exile. He deferred those comments to the party chairman.

The other members of the El Paso delegation include Norma Chavez, Joseph Pickett, Chente Quintanilla.

Gov. Rick Perry's response was similar to Craddick's, calling the Democrats' walkout "cowardly and childish."

"Their behavior is analogous to the pouting child who doesn't like the way the game is going and stomps off the field," Perry said. "These legislators have been elected and paid to come to work by hardworking Texans. They are asked to work for 140 days every two years - not to hide out because they don't like the way the debate is going,"

In a written statement, Perry described the walkout as a "childish prank" that "endangers the hard work legislators have invested in ensuring that homeowners insurance rates are lowered, and it jeopardizes dozens of other pieces of important legislation."

But while top-ranking state Republicans lambasted Democrats, El Paso's lone Republican legislator defended the walkout.

"It's the smartest move they could've made," Haggerty said. "Under the circumstances, it was the only alternative they had. It's been done before. It's in the rules, and they're playing by the rules."

Haggerty said he may have considered walking with his colleagues on issues other than redistricting.

"There's some issues that I think I probably would have joined them," Haggerty said. "If they had decided to do something like this on CHIP or they had decided to do something like this on Medicaid reimbursement rates."

Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, said Senate Democrats support their House counterparts.

"We applaud House members who have the courage to take extraordinary measures in the face of tyranny of the majority. When key legislation is heard in violation of open meetings laws, that is the tyranny of the majority," Shapleigh said. "... When the U.S. Supreme Court rules that congressional redistricting map is constitutional and every Texas congressman is elected on that map, then after the fact Tom DeLay comes to personally redraw the map and quarter seven Democratic congressmen, that is tyranny of the majority."

Craddick said he has not had any contact with the absent Democrats. And he left little room for compromise.

"I'm not interested in negotiating," he said.

His only message for them: "Come back and do the duty that you were elected for - win or lose, stand up like a man or woman and be like you were elected to be."

Democrats and Republicans have been fighting throughout the session over state budget cuts to address the approximately $10 billion budget shortfall that would mean massive cuts to educational and health services. Hundreds of bills must be dealt with before midnight Thursday.

It's not known how long the walkout will continue.

On the Net:
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/

Gary Scharrer may be reached at gscharrer@elpasotimes.com

Tammy Fonce-Olivas contributed to this story.

http://www.borderlandnews.com/updates/0512-demosgary.shtml

[FITZ]

"I'm in the state of New Mexico now and pretty soon I'll be in the Republic of Mexico," Moreno said Monday.


He belongs in Mexico and so do most of his fellow socialists.

[anymouse]

I say that Texans conduct their own "Rat hunt" to out these Texas Rats to the media and DPS or appropriate law enforcement officers.

They can run, but they can't hide from the long arm of Texans.

If their location is make public it defeats their plan. We don't need to find all of them, just enough to make a quarum of 100 (approx 20 of the Rats.)

Someone can even make up a "most wanted" poster to show the public what these perps look like.

[headsonpikes]

"Arrest and lock 'em all up."

And don't stop with these Texans -- there are legislators all over the country who are in need of arrestin'.

;^)

[Republican Wildcat]

If this keeps up, the Speaker should declare their seats vacant.

[FITZ]

They should be arrested. They don't want a balanced budget ---they want to hike taxes up very high and kill this state.

[rapture-me]

Today 53 Democrats in the Texas House abdicated their responsibilities and effectively shut down legislative business.

One-hundred members of the House constitute a quorum necessary to conduct the business of the State. Today only 99 House members are on the Floor.

50+ Dems sent letters to the Clerk announcing their intentions of being absent until Friday. After Thursday legislative bills are dead if they have not been heard.

The redistricting bill is the motivating event. Democrats do not want new lines drawn for Congressional districts because a fair plan would decrease the number of Democrats in Congress.

The Democrat maneuver could kill many important bills [not just redistricting] that are waiting to be heard.

A resolution was passed calling for State Troopers to find and return the AWOL Dems. Speaker Tom Craddick has authorized Troopers to cross state lines to retrieve missing Dems.

ACTION: Call the offices of the Democrats who are AWOL and ask that the Reps return to do the business they were elected to do. Names of absent legislators are listed below.

~~~~ CALL ESPECIALLY if you are in their Districts.

To find contact numbers for your representative: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm
Or you can call the Capitol Switchboard and ask for your Rep's office. 512-463-0845

ABSENT LEGISLATORS

Alonzo
Bailey
Burnam
Canales
Capelo
Castro
Coleman
Robby Cook
Yvonne Davis
Deshotel
Dukes
Dunham
Dutton
Eiland
Dan Ellis
Escobar
Farabee
Farrar
Gallego
Garza
Guillen
Hochberg
Hodge
Homer
Hopson
Jesse Jones
Laney
Mcclendon
Mcreynolds
Mabry
Martinez fischer
Menendez
Moreno J
Moreno P
Naishtat
Noriega
Oliveira
Olivo
Pena
Pickett
Puente
Quintanilla
Raymond
Ritter
Rodriguez
Rose
Solis
Telford
Thompson
Uresti
Villarreal
Wise
Wolens [husband of Laura Miller, mayor of Dallas]

[SwinneySwitch]

It was the demonrat "Killer Bees" in the Senate, see 3 above.

[RippleFire]

bump

[RippleFire]

Time for a new card deck!

[SwinneySwitch]

To: my 'rat rep

Subject: ChickenD's

Message: Do you think you and your staff should be paid while you are not working and running from the law?

[A. Patriot]

Just send some bail bondsmen after them. Bring them back in chains in the back of a Ryder truck.

[SwinneySwitch]

News 8 Austin is reporting that Helen Giddings (D-Dallas) was arrested outside her Austin apartment and escorted by troopers back to the House floor.