Despite a May 5 deadline to pay fines and costs associated with breaking quorum over Congressional redistricting last year, 14 of the 53 Texas House Democrats who absconded have failed to make the required payment.
Among the lawmakers who are delinquent in paying their penalties are three who are currently running for statewide office – State Representative James Talarico, who is running for the U.S. Senate; State Representative Gina Hinojosa, who is running for Governor; and State Representative Vikki Goodwin, who is running for Lt. Governor.
Other House Democrats who had failed to pay as of June 4 are State Representatives Alma Allen, Nicole Collier, Yvonne Davis, Harold Dutton, Suleman Lalani, Ray Lopez, Terry Meza, Penny Morales Shaw, Ron Reynolds, Senfronia Thompson, and Chris Turner.
Those lawmakers who failed to pay the fines imposed on them are now subject to having a portion of their official office budgets withheld.
Under Rule 5, Section 3(f) of the Texas House Rules, the House Administration Committee “shall direct the House Business Office to reduce the amount of the monthly credit to the member’s operating account established under the housekeeping resolution by 30 percent in each month that any amount of a fine remains past due and owing.” Once the legislator makes full payment, the impounded funds are restored to the member’s office operating account.
The Texas Voice can confirm that the House Business Office has entered penalties into the operating accounts of the lawmakers who have failed to pay the fines and costs imposed for breaking quorum.
Under the House Rules, the fines and costs cannot be paid from the member’s official office account or with political contributions. While most of the members who paid the fines did so with checks that appeared to be drawn on personal bank accounts, three legislators – State Representatives Diego Bernal, Armando Walle, and Gene Wu – paid their fines with checks that appear to be drawn on bank accounts of law firm entities they own.
Several of the Democrat quorum busters who paid their fines used the memo lines on their checks to send defiant – and in one case, obscene – messages about the penalties imposed on them.
“B.S.”, wrote San Antonio Democrat Diego Bernal.
Houston Democrat Jolanda Jones had her check reflect, “Paid subject to objection and appeal; Absence at direction of constituents; Official legislative duties.”
“#Democracy WORTH EVERY PENNY,” noted Houston Democrat Christina Morales on her check.
Plano Democrat Mihaela Plesa, who represents a swing district, wrote, “A small price to pay to try to save democracy!”
Ana Maria Ramos of Dallas County, one of the most outspoken liberal voices in the Texas House, wrote a vulgarity in Spanish on the memo line of her check.
“Hijos de puta,” wrote Ramos. The term translates to “mother***ers” in English.
While the amounts of the fines and costs imposed on each of the quorum-busting Democrats varied due to the number of days missed during the quorum break, most of the Democrats who fled the state were each ordered to pay $6,000 in fines and $2,354.25 in DPS costs, for a total of $8,354.25.
