AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas House Democrats who broke quorum and left the state during last summer’s special session amid Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting push will officially be fined over $8,000 for their actions.
The Texas House Committee on House Administration voted along party lines on Friday to penalize the members who broke quorum $500 for each day missed and $2,354 in expenses for the Texas Department of Public Safety. All total, most of the Democrats face a fine of $8,354. The annual salary for a member of the state House is $7,200.
The committee tallied the combined penalties at over $421,000.
Democrats staged a two-week walkout in August to protest the new congressional maps Republicans put forward at the request of President Donald Trump to help maintain the GOP majority in the U.S. House. The new map later passed, and Republicans hope the redraw will give Republicans five additional House seats.
Despite court challenges, the Supreme Court allowed the new map to be used during the 2026 midterms.
The House Administration Committee comprises six Republicans and five Democrats, and state Rep. Sheryl Cole, D-Austin, pushed forward five motions to reduce the penalties. Each of her motions failed, with all the Republicans on the committee voting against the measures.
According to the Texas Tribune, some of the Democrats saw their penalties reduced or struck before the hearing after successfully arguing that their absences should count as excused, with one member visiting a sick relative and another undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment.
While the quorum break only delayed the vote on redistricting, state Democrats at the time said it was a “successful” protest that brought national attention to the issue.
“The quorum break was successful. I think beyond our wildest dreams,” state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, told Spectrum News back in August. “We never expected the American public to come in with such amazing support, for other states to step up so quickly, and just the change in the public dialogue.”
Since Texas passed its new congressional map, other states have followed suit, including California, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio. Other states are also expected to join in on the mid-decade redistricting efforts.