LIVE: Texas House Holds Legislative Session on Aug. 12 With Many Democratic Lawmakers Absent

The house will come to order. Member of strict enforcement has been requested on roll call by representatives Canales, Cortez, Mary Gonzalez, Longoria, Martinez, Moody, Eddie Morales, Munoz, the house will come to order. Member of strict enforcement has been requested on roll call by representatives Canales, Cortez, Mary Gonzalez, Longoria, Martinez, Moody, Eddie Morales, Munoz, and Raymond. You must register from your desk, you may not register for any other member. Clerk, ring the bell. Have all members registered? There being 95 members present, a quorum is not present. The house and gallery please rise for the invocation which will be offered by Furman Carpenter, the DPS chaplain. Let us pray. Our holy and most wonderful father, we thank you for the wonderful blessing of allowing us to be here today. Great state capital of Texas, father, this wonderful beautiful house of representatives, father, and we thank you for each of our legislatures. On both sides of the aisle, father, we thank you for the commonness that we have, that we all love Texas, father, and we all have constituents to represent. We ask you, father, that each one represent their constituents in the best and most excellent way possible. We ask you to be with those that aren't here, father, and please take care of them. Father, please be continue to be with our great state. Thank you for each one of our law enforcement officers, father, and please bring them home safely every day. It's through Jesus that we pray. Amen. The chair recognizes the Honorable Daniel Alders of Smith County to lead us in the pledges of allegiance to the United States and Texas flags. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, guests in the gallery, please join me in pledging allegiance to the flags of our nation and our state. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible. Mr. Hayes, for what purpose? Parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. In that House administration approved the committee budgets without approval or confirmation of the full house, would a motion be in order that the house amend the committee's budgets to remove any amounts allocated to any vice chair or dean of the house who is absent and his attendance is not excused for the purpose of denying and maintaining a quorum? Not at this time, but you may bring it down front. Thank you. Members, the roll has been called and again a quorum is not present. What this means first, we cannot take up the critical flood response legislation scheduled for our floor today. Bills that would deliver and help families and communities who've lost their homes, their businesses, their livelihoods, and in some cases their loved ones. As I stated yesterday, the Department of Public Safety is keeping track of every taxpayer dollar that has been spent in their effort to compel our colleagues' attendance. As of today, the amount is well over six figures in just overtime. We have travel and operational costs that are being tracked as well. Under rule five, section three of the house rules, those absent members will be responsible for paying all of this back. If the devastation on 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. The work is not going away and the pressure on them will only grow. Since we do not have quorum today, members present are not going to be punished and they're going to be able to go home to their districts Wednesday and Thursday. But if it looks like quorum may be reached, be within six hours of the capitol and be on call to return. I expect everybody in this chamber, every member, to be here again Friday physically in their seats and present. We will make one more attempt to convene with the quorum on Friday so we can address the issues that need to be addressed. If we still do not have quorum on Friday, the house and the senate will sine die this session and the governor will immediately issue a proclamation for a second called special session. We will gavel in for the second session Friday and re-establish the call of the house. As a reminder, absent members remain subject to civil arrest. Let this be a warning to all absent members, the second session is coming. It is time to get home and take your seats. Members, a memo regarding Friday's schedule will be forthcoming. In the meantime, DPS will continue to knock on doors, sit outside homes, and track every lead until we have the votes in these chairs. I spoke with Governor Abbott this morning and he has made it clear he is committed to calling us back again and again and again until our work is done. Members, the call on the house remains in force. Under house rules, the house may adjourn from day to day. While the house will be called in order in a pro forma session tomorrow and Thursday, I will provide written permission to be entered in today's journal for each member registered as present during today's session to leave the chamber and return 10 a.m. Friday. Mr. Guerin moves the house stand adjourned until 8 30 Wednesday. Is there objection? Chair hears none and the house stands adjourned.