Texas House Speaker Details Search for Missing Democrats, Financial Accountability

Locating Absent Members

• 🔍 Special agents from the Department of Public Safety and dozens of House-appointed officers are actively searching across Texas for missing members.
• 🏠 Surveillance includes monitoring members' homes, repeated phone calls, and following public tips.
• 💡 Actionable intelligence from the public, such as a reported rally in Fort Worth, is being investigated.
• 📞 A dedicated tip line (866-786-5972) has been established to gather information on the whereabouts of absent members.

Financial Responsibility and Consequences

• 💰 The House is meticulously tracking all expenses incurred during the search for absent members, including gas, travel, and overtime.
• ⚖️ Under House Rule 5, Section 3, members breaking quorum will be held financially responsible for the costs they have created, not the taxpayers.

Call to Action for Absent Members

• ⚠️ Absent members are reminded that they cannot escape their responsibility to the people of Texas, regardless of their location.
• 🗳️ The critical choice is whether they will return to vote on essential disaster recovery bills or be remembered for their absence.
• 📢 The House call remains in force, and members are urged to return to their seats.

House Adjournment

• 🗓️ The House has adjourned until 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, with provisions for members to leave and return.
• ✅ Members who register as present will receive written permission to leave and re-enter the chamber.