State Rep. Sheryl Cole, D-Austin, said Texas Democrats decided they needed to flee the state after a bruising House committee hearing on a Republican voting bill.
"We're doing it because we have to," Cole said from a chartered plane as it was refueling in Memphis. "We're taking the flight to the capital because we're living on borrowed time and Congress must act and pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act."
The American-Statesman reached Cole as she was mid-journey to Washington with dozens of fellow House members. The decision to break ranks could cripple House action during the ongoing special session.
Cole said the decision to break quorum and leave the state was made late Sunday after a committee hearing on House Bill 3 resulted in every Democrat amendment being voted down along party lines.
Cole said the idea was for House Democrats to quietly leave the state, but that plan went up in smoke after media reports emerged early Monday about their intention to break quorum. Even with the House on recess, some worried that state police might be dispatched to keep the Democrats in Texas.
"The rules are always kind of murky," she said. "We didn't want to be stopped by DPS. We're only in recess. We didn't adjourn (on Friday), so we weren't sure about the rules under that circumstance."
The decision to leave came from the head of the House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Chris Turner of Grand Prairie, though Cole said Reps. Rafael Anchía and Nicole Collier, heads to the Mexican American Legislative Caucus and the Texas Legislative Black Caucus respectively, were heavily involved in planning and making the final decision.
Cole was unsure about how the trip was paid for. But campaign funds might end up footing the bill, she said.
"Campaign accounts are on the line, I know that," she said. "Our personal finance too. We left jobs and children and families to do this."
For now, House Democrats plan to meet Monday night in Washington and hold a press event at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, followed by meetings with lawmakers.
It's going to be a late night," Cole said.
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