With a quorum-breaking number of House Democrats still out of state, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, gaveled the first special session to an end Friday. Gov. Greg Abbott immediately called a second special session that has already convened. House Democrats indicated they will likely return to Texas at some point during the second special session and would fight the proposed redistricting attempt with legal challenges against the Republican plan to add five GOP-heavy congressional districts, The Dallas Morning News reported.“Texas House Democrats broke quorum and successfully mobilized the nation against Trump’s assault on minority voting rights,” said Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Gene Wu of Houston. “Now, as Democrats across the nation join our fight to cause these maps to fail their political purpose, we’re prepared to bring this battle back to Texas under the right conditions and to take this fight to the courts.”Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said voters in his state will be asked in a November election to counter the redistricting move in Texas by approving new Democratic congressional districts there. Meanwhile, the Texas Senate has passed legislation on flood relief and disaster response, doing away with STAAR testing in favor of three tests annually, and other measures that would await approval in the House during the new special session.
Colleges, nonprofits urge judge to reinstate Dream Act
As the fall semester gets underway, lawyers are again asking a district judge to allow them to contest a ruling that overturned the Texas Dream Act. That measure for 24 years has allowed eligible Texas residents who are noncitizens to pay in-state tuition rates, the Austin American-Statesman reported.The federal government in June sued the state, arguing the 2001 Dream Act provides unfair benefits to non-U.S. citizens. When the state declined to fight the suit, state District Judge Reed O’ Connor stopped the law from being enforced.
