Duty Not to Participate: It’s gonna be all about the quorum break this week. (Detailed in our leading news story in this issue, found here.) Following the quorum break means chronicling the outrages from Republicans, which are coming thick and fast. As of Wednesday, the latest was the news that Gov. Greg Abbott has asked the Texas Supreme Court, populated by bootlicking MAGAs, to remove the leader of the Texas House Democrats, Houston’s Rep. Gene Wu, from office. Abbott claims that Wu and the 55 other Dems who left the state Sunday have abandoned their offices. Wu says he is fulfilling his oath of office. Wu said in a statement that given the anti-democratic circumstances, “my constitutional duty is to not be a willing participant.”
Authoritarian Bona Fides: The quorum break is also an opportunity for corrupt fascist (and Texas Attorney General) Ken Paxton to grandstand. And you know he ain’t gonna miss it. On Tuesday, Paxton echoed Abbott, saying the quorum-breaking Dems have abandoned their offices and claiming that if they aren’t back by Friday he will ask the Texas Supreme Court to kick them out of their positions. As various sources have reported, in 2021 the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state’s Constitution allows quorum breaks.
FBI Time: Newly minted fascism sympathizer Sen. John Cornyn – hoping to match the grandstanding of Paxton, who may very well end Cornyn’s legislative career in the 2026 Republican primary – has chimed in with his own suggestion. Cornyn sent a letter on Tuesday to the FBI’s director, Kash Patel, asking that the agency locate and arrest the Democratic quorum breakers. Hours later, Donald Trump said that the agency “may have to get involved.”
This Has Happened Before: Of course, quorum breaks are part of the Democratic process – that’s why there is such a thing as a quorum at all. Texas legislators have broken quorum at least four times since 1870, according to The Texas Tribune, including in 1979, 2003, and 2021. Gina Hinojosa told the Chronicle that reporters have a misunderstanding of the nuance of the last quorum break in 2021. Then, Democrats were protesting the passage of measures making it harder to vote. Though the quorum breakers did come back to the Capitol after Abbott called a second special session, the quorum break that year succeeded in getting some of the worst elements of the legislation, like a ban on voting on Sundays, removed from the final bill, Hinojosa said.
Funding the Escape: Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke has been all over the news networks supporting his Democratic colleagues. That support is financial as well as moral, The Texas Tribune reports, as O’Rourke’s group Powered by People has emerged as a major resource covering the costs of Dems’ quorum break. The Dems have transportation and lodging expenses and are being hit with $500-a-day fines while they stay away from Texas. O’Rourke’s organization has covered much of the costs so far, according to a Tribune source.
Trans Attack Paused: One happy result of the quorum break is the ongoing postponement of yet another assault on transgender Texans by state Republicans – the consideration of Senate Bill 7, the so-called bathroom bill. The Texas Senate State Affairs Committee approved the bathroom bill proposal Monday, which would restrict transgender people from using bathrooms in government and school buildings that match their identifying gender, with the bill’s author, the superwealthy Sen. Mayes Middleton from Galveston, saying it reflected “biological and biblical truths.” But without the Dems, there will be no quorum to pass the bill.
Openly Racist Response: Speaking of the superwealthy, anti-education, fascist Sen. Middleton, he posted a bit of disgusting xenophobia related to the quorum break to X on Tuesday, writing, “Is Gene Wu back in China?” Keep this in mind next time the self-proclaimed Christian talks about “biblical truths” like loving your neighbor, which Jesus said is the second most important commandment after loving God.
Biking for a Bit More: You know, in the face of all that, a slight hike to CapMetro Bikeshare fees seems like pretty small potatoes. CapMetro elevated their Bikeshare fare just a bit Aug. 1, but they’re still some of the lowest costs for such a program in the country, CapMetro pointed out. The increased fees will help them “to meet the needs of customers and efficiently use our resources, ensuring the longevity of the program.”
Parks and Rec Considers Costs: Meanwhile, with the city facing a $33 million budget deficit this year and more likely to come, the Parks and Recreation Department is considering new user fees, naming rights, and even the creation of a regional park authority, the Austin Monitor reports. These are some of the ideas identified in a consultant report released last month which found that PARD relies on the city’s general revenue fund more than such departments in comparable cities. The report states that in 2024 the department got $100 million from the General Fund but generated only about $16 million.
Traffic Thoughts: As KUT points out, traffic roundabouts are better than intersections. They have no stop signs and no traffic lights, just an infinite, perfect circle promoting an unending flow. City planners must agree, because they have transformed 47 intersections around town into roundabouts in recent years. The 48th roundabout is underway at Evergreen Avenue and West Mary Street and the 49th is coming next year to Bluebonnet Lane at Del Curto Road.
Ethics Investigation Dropped: Austin’s Ethics Review Commission told the Austin Monitor this week that it would drop its investigation into Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, saying the city’s ethics code has frustrated attempts to decide whether the complaints against her are valid. Over the last several months, Tiffany Washington has argued that Harper-Madison violated five sections of the city’s ethics code, including representing private interests and improperly using her official title. Harper-Madison has not responded to the allegations.
Planning Austin: Despite a little population growth slowdown, the city is still getting bigger and that means continued development. Austin’s Zoning and Platting Commission may want a duties swap with Planning Commission, the Austin Monitor reported this week. The idea, presented by Zoning and Platting Commissioner David Fouts during a recent public meeting, is to send more site-specific cases to Zoning and Platting, while situations that are “more policy-based” would go to the Planning Commission.
Quote of the Week
“When a governor conspires with a disgraced president to ram through a racist gerrymandered map, my constitutional duty is to not be a willing participant.”
– State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston
This article appears in August 8 • 2025.