The first special session of the 89th Texas Legislature is nearing its end without any bills being passed. According to Texas State Representative Andy Hopper, the main reason for this outcome was the absence of House Democrats, who left the state to avoid participating in a vote on congressional redistricting.
Redistricting became part of the session’s agenda after Governor Greg Abbott added it at the urging of former President Donald Trump. The proposal aimed to redraw congressional district maps to increase Republican representation in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Representative Hopper, who co-authored House Bill 4 on redistricting, said that despite committee hearings and preparations for a floor vote on August 4th, a quorum could not be reached due to many Democrats not attending under the direction of Representative Gene Wu. Hopper stated, “These Democrats abandoned the responsibilities they were elected to undertake and cowardly sought the comfort of left-wing leaders in states like California, Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts.”
Hopper emphasized that Texans expect more from their representatives and maintained that “this mid-census redistricting to better represent the political makeup of the State is perfectly legal.” He noted that recent demographic changes have made Texas more favorable for Republicans since 2021.
In response to the absence of Democratic legislators, Governor Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton issued orders aimed at compelling attendance. The Texas Department of Public Safety was instructed to serve civil warrants on missing lawmakers. However, according to Hopper, none had been returned to Austin as of his statement.
Hopper also mentioned that “the Texas Rangers were also ordered to investigate possible federal bribery charges,” following reports suggesting some Democrats used illegal funding for their departure. Additionally, efforts have been made by Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton toward declaring absent members’ seats vacant and removing Representative Wu from office through legal means.
Governor Abbott has indicated he will continue calling special sessions until key items are addressed: “I will continue to call special session after special session until we get this Texas first agenda passed.”
Conservative members are pressing for consequences against absent Democrats. Their demands include removing chairmanships from those who fled, stripping seniority privileges such as “Dean of the House,” vacating seats held by absent members, and considering further redistricting within the Texas House itself. Hopper argued these measures would discourage future walkouts: “Conversely, if Democrats are held accountable via our House Rules…this practice will cease to be a viable option for the vast majority of Democrats.”
He also suggested adding House redistricting as an agenda item could give Republicans a supermajority in future sessions: “Since we currently have 88 Republican representatives, and it only takes 100 to have a supermajority, redistricting to flip a few seats would yield a House where Democrats would no longer be able to affect quorum.”
Other issues listed on this special session’s agenda include property tax reform or elimination; privacy protections in women’s spaces; restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs; expanding authority for prosecuting election fraud; and banning taxpayer-funded lobbying—some authored or co-authored by Hopper himself.
Andy Hopper was elected as a Republican representative for Texas’ 64th district in 2025 after succeeding Lynn Stucky (https://ballotpedia.org/Andy_Hopper).
Hopper concluded his statement by affirming his commitment: “I am proud to continue to fight for you in Austin. As always, please feel free to continue to reach out if you have any questions or concerns!”
