Administration

HR 128 amends Texas House rules to impose specific penalties on members who absent themselves without permission to disrupt legislative proceedings. It directly affects House members who deliberately skip sessions to hinder the House's work. Key provisions include a daily fine of $1,500 (three times the standard $500 per diem), reimbursement for sergeant-at-arms costs to secure attendance, loss of committee leadership roles, and potential seniority recalculation for repeated absences. Penalties apply only when absence is proven to impede House business, and members retain constitutional rights to representation.

HJR 10 proposes amending the Texas Constitution to change the quorum requirement for the Texas Senate or House of Representatives from two-thirds to a simple majority of members. This would allow legislative business to proceed with fewer members present, directly affecting how both chambers conduct sessions and pass legislation. The amendment must be approved by Texas voters in a May 2, 2026, election, with the ballot asking whether "a majority of the members" should constitute a quorum. If passed, this change would alter a core procedural rule governing legislative operations.

HR 18 amends Texas House rules to withhold a member's operating budget funds if they are absent without leave for eight or more days during a called legislative session with the intent to impede the House's work. This rule directly affects Texas House members who miss significant portions of a special session while deliberately avoiding attendance. The key provision requires the House Administration Committee to withhold budget disbursements for such absences, linking funding to attendance during critical sessions. The bill focuses on enforcing accountability for attendance during convened special sessions, not general absences.

HR 41 is a resolution targeting Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives who intentionally left the state to prevent a quorum during a special session on August 3, 2025. It imposes a $500 daily fine per member for each day absent (deducted from salary), reduces their office budgets by 30%, revokes committee chair stipends, and requires repayment of costs incurred to restore quorum. These penalties apply to members who participated in the quorum break during the 89th Legislature's special session on redistricting. The resolution was filed on August 18, 2025, and referred to the House Administration Committee.

This resolution removes eligibility for leadership roles from Democratic Texas House members who intentionally left the chamber on August 3, 2025, to prevent a quorum during a special session focused on redistricting. It specifically bars these members from serving as Dean of the House or committee chairs/vice-chairs for the duration of their current term. Eligibility may be restored through a two-thirds vote of the House if the member demonstrates renewed commitment to legislative duties. The resolution applies only to those who participated in the deliberate quorum break, as documented in the resolution's findings.