(C) Texas Tribune This story was originally published by Texas Tribune and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Blast - August 22, 2025 [1] ['The Texas Tribune'] Date: 2025-08 22 days until sine die 78 days until the candidate filing period begins 108 days until the candidate filing deadline PENALTIES FOR QUORUM BREAKERS Well, our claim from Wednesday’s Blast that “no punishment is guaranteed for Democrats” lasted all of 10 minutes. Shortly after we pushed out The Blast, Gov. Greg Abbott added three items to the special session call, including creating penalties for state lawmakers who break quorum. Abbott didn’t name the specific penalties or punishments he wants implemented, and putting it on the call doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen. But it gives Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and the Republicans the nudge to do what some within the caucus have been itching to do. And Democrats know they’ll have to accept some form of punishment for breaking the rules. After all, they did vote for the House rules in the 2023 and 2025 sessions, including the fines for breaking quorum. One punishment bill that’s picked up steam would declare a lawmaker’s seat vacant if the lawmaker accrues seven consecutive unexcused absences. Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, filed that as House Bill 64 last Friday, and Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, filed an identical version yesterday as Senate Bill 48. What’s more, HB 64 picked up 75 additional joint authors and coauthors on Wednesday, enough to pass the House. The list of cosigners includes the usual hardliner suspects but also key members of Burrows’ leadership team, including: Appropriations Committee Chair Greg Bonnen of Friendswood Public Education Committee Chair Brad Buckley of Salado Natural Resources Committee Chair Cody Harris of Palestine Homeland Security, Public Safety and Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chair Cole Hefner of Mount Pleasant Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee Chair Jeff Leach of Allen Local and Consent Calendars Committee Chair Jared Patterson of Frisco The list also has two former speakers who had to deal with quorum breaks, Rep. Tom Craddick of Midland and newly retiring Rep. Dade Phelan of Beaumont. Together, that’s a strong endorsement for that approach. HB 64 has been referred to the State Affairs Committee. SB 48 hasn’t yet been referred to a Senate committee. Additionally, Rep. Matt Shaheen, a Plano Republican who chairs the Elections Committee, filed HB 18 yesterday with little fanfare, and he’s already scheduled it for a hearing. That bill would cap political donations to lawmakers who are breaking quorum. HB 18 would ban donations greater than a day’s worth of per diem. It would also ban campaign dollars from being spent on travel, food and lodging in connection with the quorum break. Each person making or accepting an illegal contribution would face up to a $5,000 fine for each violation. And when they go to court, the new all-Republican 15th Court of Appeals would hear any appeal to the case. The bill’s low number signals it’s a priority of House leadership and has been blessed by Burrows. Late this afternoon, Shaheen scheduled the bill for a Monday morning hearing in his Elections Committee. With about three weeks until sine die, expect the penalty legislation to come into focus very soon. As for the monetary punishments, House Administration Committee Chair Charlie Geren of Fort Worth has tallied up members’ fines to around $9,000 to $10,000 for the quorum break. House rules allow members a hearing before the committee to dispute those fines. Members may also submit a letter disputing the charges. Those letters are due by noon on Monday. But as Republicans discovered this summer, fines alone won’t kill quorum breaks. [END] --- [1] Url: https://thetexastribune.beehiiv.com/p/the-blast-august-22-2025-946db279f23b17e8 Published and (C) by Texas Tribune Content appears here under this condition or license: Used with Permission: https://www.texastribune.org/republishing-guidelines/. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/texastribune/