SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – Who pays the bill? This is the question many Texans are asking while dozens of the state’s Democratic lawmakers stay in Washington DC awaiting the special session of the Texas legislature.
The group got on a charter flight to DC earlier this week and denied Republicans the quorum required to conduct business during the meeting.
It’s a move to block a vote on changes to electoral law in Texas.
State representative Trey Martinez Fischer told JD Hayworth on KTSA that the protest was not funded by taxpayers’ money.
“The plane was chartered from the Democratic Group in the House, which is a political entity for the Democrats in the House. Money was collected, as well as campaign money, campaign money that was paid for the flight. “
Of course, lawmakers won’t sleep in tents in a DC city park. Martinez-Fischer says that the hotel rooms are also paid for by the campaigns.
“We got to DC so quickly that I booked the first night with my campaign credit card. I paid for 70 hotel rooms on the first night immediately after my campaign. Since then, other members have put their credit cards on so that we can share the work and contribute to the costs. So make no mistake, this is not a junket. Make no mistake, there is no special interest group to take that into account. Every member of the Texan house appears and brings their skin into play, just like a democracy. “
Martinez-Fischer went on to say that, to the best of his knowledge, Washington does not have physical fundraising and that everyone in Texas is trying to raise money through online donations.
The contingent could be in the country’s capital for a while, as the special session doesn’t end until early August and Governor Abbott threatens to arrest lawmakers on their return to Texas.
The NAACP supports the legislature. The organization has promised to pay their bail if they are arrested for staying away until the end of the special session.
