Democrats in the Texas Legislature charted a private flight Monday en route to Washington, D.C., in an effort to break the body’s quorum and block election integrity bills endorsed by Republicans.
This effort is far from the first of its nature, as many legislators in minority parties have utilized walkouts to stop the passage of their opponents’ bills.
Here’s how the tactic has fared in the past:
Texas: 2003
In May 2003, around 50 Democratic state lawmakers in the Texas House traveled across state lines and stayed in a hotel in Ardmore, Oklahoma, barely north of the Texan border.
They attempted to stop a redistricting plan being pushed in the state by Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
“We're here in Ardmore, Oklahoma, because the real problems of Texas are budget problems, are school finance problems, are healthcare problems that are being cast aside because of a power play by Tom DeLay,” said Rep. Jim Dunnam, the Texas House Democratic Caucus chairman.
They returned to the House in June after the session of the legislature adjourned, but Republican Gov. Rick Perry called a special session into order to vote on the bill.
That decision led the “Texas 11,” a group of state Senate Democrats, to flee to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to break the quorum in their chamber, preventing a vote on the plan in July. After a monthslong standoff, Sen. John Whitmire, one of the absent legislators, agreed to return to Texas on Sept. 2, giving the body quorum and allowing them to pass the bill on Oct. 12.
Wisconsin: 2011
In February 2011, 14 Wisconsin Senate Democrats left the state, at first refusing to disclose their location, to break quorum on an anti-union bill supported by Republican Gov. Scott Walker. It was later revealed that they were residing in Illinois.
The legislation that they protested, 2011 Wisconsin Act 10, limited the collective bargaining authority of public-sector unions to the negotiation of wages and reduced the take-home pay of public employees in order to guarantee the solvency of the state pension system.
“The plan is to try and slow this down because it's an extreme piece of legislation that's tearing this state apart,” said Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, one of the lawmakers who left Wisconsin.
The Democrats’ flight came amid protests at the state Capitol that may have totaled 100,000 people, largely including students and employees of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Senate procedures require at least two-thirds of the body to be present for votes on bills that appropriated funds. After three weeks, Republicans removed elements of the bill related to budget appropriations, allowing them to pass it with the legislators on hand.
The next year, organizers forced a recall election for Walker, using the bill as a campaign focal point. Walker won the election, making him the only governor in history to survive a recall vote.
Indiana: 2011
Days after Wisconsin legislators left their state, 38 Indiana House Democrats fled as well, also taking refuge in Illinois.
Inspired by the Democrats in the Badger State, the Hoosiers attempted to block a right-to-work bill, which prohibited labor organizers from compelling employees to join their unions.
“Republicans have decided to bring their Wisconsin assault to Indiana, and we're not going to just sit around and take it,” said Rep. Dan Parker, the leader of the Democratic caucus in the Indiana House.
Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma agreed to remove the controversial bill from the legislative agenda, leading the Democrats to return to the state. The next year, however, Republicans passed a similar right-to-work law without Democrats walking out.
Oregon: 2019, 2020, and 2021
Republican state senators in Oregon have conducted a walkout every year since 2019.
The first two tried to obstruct cap-and-trade legislation, climate change laws that would limit the amount of carbon emissions that the state can produce.
The June 2019 walkout resulted in Democratic Gov. Kate Brown ordering police to arrest lawmakers who refused to attend legislative sessions. Republicans responded by fleeing to nearby Idaho and Montana.
The Republicans returned nine days after the walkout began once Democrats agreed to send the bill back to a legislative committee.
The next year, Republicans walked out again over legislation that would accomplish similar goals to the bill one year prior. This time, however, Brown signed an executive order that had similar provisions to the legislature’s bill.
In February 2021, Republican senators walked out again to demand that Brown reopen schools and expand vaccine eligibility.
“Throughout the pandemic, the Legislature has abdicated too much responsibility to the Governor. We cannot sit by and watch the Governor fail to deliver on the biggest issues facing Oregonians today,” wrote Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod in a statement.
A week later, Republicans returned to work. Although no substantive changes occurred, the effort was a success in that it highlighted Republican concerns about Brown’s handling of the pandemic and vaccine rollout, Girod said.
U.S. Senate: 2016
Although this instance is not explicitly a walkout, it represents a peculiar tactic from legislators trying to meet their political goals.
On June 22, 2016, a mix of 170 Democratic senators and House members led by the late Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, staged a sit-in on the floor of the Senate to demand the passage of a gun control amendment that would prohibit people on the no-fly list from buying guns.
“There comes a time when you have to say something. You have to make a little noise. You have to move your feet. This is the time,” Lewis said of the protest.
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After 24 hours, the Democrats ended the sit-in, and Congress adjourned for its Fourth of July recess. The “no fly, no buy” amendment endorsed by the lawmakers did not pass, nor has any similar measure to date.
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Tags: News, Texas, Wisconsin, Oregon, Indiana, Democratic Party, Protests, State Legislatures
Original Author: Charles Hilu
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