Media Contact

Matt Levin, ACLU of Texas, [email protected]

July 12, 2021

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Democrats announced their intention to leave the state today to break quorum in the Texas State Legislature special session that began on July 8.

The following quote can be attributed to Sarah Labowitz, policy & advocacy director at the ACLU of Texas:

“From the beginning, the governor designed this special session to suppress Texans’ civil liberties. Over the weekend, hundreds of people testified against bills that would take away voting rights and abuse the bail system to lock up poor Texans. Today, even more people are speaking out at the Capitol against bills further restricting reproductive rights and banning transgender children from participating in youth sports. The walkout is a drastic action in direct response to the governor’s refusal to listen to his constituents or address the real needs of Texans.

The governor should do his job and actually govern Texas. Instead of fighting culture wars, he should focus the special session on solving the dire issues facing Texas: passing a budget, fixing the energy grid, and dealing with the impact of the pandemic.”