However, \u201cno such power is conferred on the Legislature to arrest or otherwise compel a member who is currently present (and not absent) to stay,\u201d according to the filing.<\/p>\n
Burrows responded to Collier\u2019s protest in a statement saying, \u201cRep. Collier\u2019s choice to stay and not sign the permission slip is well within her rights under the House Rules.\u201d He added that he was spending his time focused on legislation to \u201coverhaul camp safety, provide property tax reform and eliminate the STAAR test \u2014 the results Texans care about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collier\u2019s act of resistance gained national attention, marking a kind of second act to House Democrats\u2019 two-week long, out-of-state flight aimed at temporarily derailing the Trump-backed congressional plan that now comes to a vote on the House floor on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Late Tuesday, other Democratic representatives joined Collier \u2014 including Mihaela Plesa, of Dallas; Penny Morales Shaw, of Houston; and Cassandra Garcia Hernandez, of Farmers Branch \u2014 and tore up their own \u201cpermission slips,\u201d The Dallas Morning News reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Fort Worth on Tuesday afternoon, Democratic officials and political activists rallied outside the Tarrant County courthouse in support of Collier, demanding that Burrows \u201cfree Nicole.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The group included Fort Worth City Council members Elizabeth Beck, Mia Hall, Chris Nettles and Deborah Peoples; Tarrant County commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles Jr.; Fort Worth ISD trustee Wallace Bridges; former City Council member Jared Williams; and Candace Sublett of the Tarrant County Democratic Party.\u00a0<\/p>\n Speakers during the rally said Burrows treated Collier \u201clike a runaway slave\u201d by attempting to monitor her whereabouts. They said the effort to track Democrats who broke quorum and adopt new congressional district maps was an attack on Black and brown voters across the state, and voters must stand in opposition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a president and an administration that are aimed at advancing the call of white Christian nationalism, and we cannot, and we should not, and we will not stand for it,\u201d Peoples said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hall urged those opposed to the redistricting plan to vote in the 2026 elections \u2014 not just for state positions but for city and county as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not telling you which way to vote \u2026 but I am telling you to be aware because I think it is so tempting, and it\u2019s such a slippery slope to get caught into a cycle of \u2018I vote this way\u2019 or \u2018I vote that way,\u2019 and ignore the infringement and the encroachment of other citizens\u2019 rights,\u201d Hall said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those gathered also urged Tarrant County residents to call or email Burrows and other state officials to voice solidarity with Collier and denounce the redistricting effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n Most of the 50-plus Democratic lawmakers who broke quorum during the summer\u2019s first special session returned to Austin on the first day of the new special session on Monday, giving Republican leaders the needed quorum of votes to press ahead with the redistricting and other priorities of Gov. Greg Abbott.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Fort Worth lawmaker\u2019s protest, prompted by her surprise refusal to sign what she said amounted to a permission slip, could continue indefinitely as long as Burrow\u2019s law enforcement escort policy remains in force.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how long I will be here,\u201d Collier told the Fort Worth Report on the first day of her protest.<\/p>\n Collier has the option of sleeping in the House chamber or going to her office. On her first night, The Washington Post reported, Collier pushed two chairs together on the House floor, donning an eye mask.\u00a0<\/p>\n Her lawsuit notes that because Collier is present at the Capitol, \u201cher appearance need not, and cannot, be compelled\u201d under the Texas Constitution.<\/p>\n In contrast to the unified Democratic support, some skeptical Republicans decried the stand-off as \u201ca publicity stunt\u201d and again lambasted the now-ended Democratic walkout as an extreme waste of taxpayer money.<\/p>\n \u201cI respect Rep. Collier,\u201d said Rep. David Lowe, a Republican from North Richland Hills. \u201cHowever, I believe it\u2019s time to stop with the political dance and start doing the will of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n Dave Montgomery is an Austin-based freelance reporter for the Fort Worth Report.<\/p>\n Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Fort Worth Report\u2019s Texas legislative coverage is supported by Kelly Hart<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0819-CollierUpdate-06.jpg\")
A demonstrator holds a sign outside the Tarrant County courthouse Aug. 19, 2025, during a rally in support of Rep. Nicole Collier\u2019s refusal to allow state troopers to monitor her whereabouts after breaking quorum during a GOP-pushed congressional redistricting effort. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0819-CollierUpdate-09.jpg\")
Democrats stand outside the Tarrant County courthouse Aug. 19, 2025, to support Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, and denounce a GOP-pushed congressional redistricting effort. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n
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