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Quorum Collapse: Most Texas House Members Skip Work
Only 65 of the chamber’s 150 members were shown present on Friday.
The Texas House of Representatives was scheduled to meet Friday morning, but business quickly came to a halt after it was revealed that the chamber lacked the quorum necessary to conduct legislative proceedings.
While an initial roll call via the chamber’s electronic voting machines indicated 118 of the 150 House members were present—enough to meet the two-thirds quorum threshold—a verification vote requested by State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian) told a different story.
Once the names were read aloud, only 65 members could be verified as present—falling far short of the 100 members required for the House to conduct business.
A visibly frustrated Speaker Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock) promptly gaveled out the session and adjourned the House until 10 a.m. Saturday.
In a statement, to Texas Scorecard, Harrison blasted House leadership for attempting to proceed without a quorum.
“Proud to have forced a verification vote to expose the corrupt and lawless leadership in the Texas House that tried to violate the Constitution by convening without a quorum,” said Harrison. “It exposes how disingenuous they have been in pretending the Constitution prohibits work in the first 60 days. They do not care about the Constitution or the voters of Texas, and today proves it.”
Friday’s collapse was made all the more embarrassing because it was Speaker Reunion Day—a traditional event in which dozens of former state representatives travel to Austin to be recognized on the House floor.
With no quorum and no official proceedings, Speaker Burrows encouraged current members to come to the House chamber later in the day for an unofficial recognition of the former lawmakers. Capitol staffers were reportedly notified to sit in the chamber’s vacant seats to help make the room appear full.
This marks the third legislative session in a row that the Texas House has lacked a quorum during at least one day. Democrat lawmakers infamously fled the state for Washington, D.C. in a failed attempt to block election integrity legislation in 2021. And in 2023, when school choice legislation was being considered, House members again failed to reach a quorum on numerous occasions.
Quorum Collapse: Most Texas House Members Skip Work
Only 65 of the chamber’s 150 members were shown present on Friday.
The Texas House of Representatives was scheduled to meet Friday morning, but business quickly came to a halt after it was revealed that the chamber lacked the quorum necessary to conduct legislative proceedings.
While an initial roll call via the chamber’s electronic voting machines indicated 118 of the 150 House members were present—enough to meet the two-thirds quorum threshold—a verification vote requested by State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian) told a different story.
Once the names were read aloud, only 65 members could be verified as present—falling far short of the 100 members required for the House to conduct business.
A visibly frustrated Speaker Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock) promptly gaveled out the session and adjourned the House until 10 a.m. Saturday.
In a statement, to Texas Scorecard, Harrison blasted House leadership for attempting to proceed without a quorum.
“Proud to have forced a verification vote to expose the corrupt and lawless leadership in the Texas House that tried to violate the Constitution by convening without a quorum,” said Harrison. “It exposes how disingenuous they have been in pretending the Constitution prohibits work in the first 60 days. They do not care about the Constitution or the voters of Texas, and today proves it.”
Friday’s collapse was made all the more embarrassing because it was Speaker Reunion Day—a traditional event in which dozens of former state representatives travel to Austin to be recognized on the House floor.
With no quorum and no official proceedings, Speaker Burrows encouraged current members to come to the House chamber later in the day for an unofficial recognition of the former lawmakers. Capitol staffers were reportedly notified to sit in the chamber’s vacant seats to help make the room appear full.
This marks the third legislative session in a row that the Texas House has lacked a quorum during at least one day. Democrat lawmakers infamously fled the state for Washington, D.C. in a failed attempt to block election integrity legislation in 2021. And in 2023, when school choice legislation was being considered, House members again failed to reach a quorum on numerous occasions.
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