Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Dade Phelan, issued an arrest warrant for a lawmaker who left the state earlier this month, along with a charter plane full of Democrats fleeing to the safety of Washington, DC.
Representative Philip Cortez returned to his home state with intentions to spur “good faith dialogue,” however, as promised, he may be arrested. Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned the Democrat lawmakers they would be arrested upon their return to the state, as they disobeyed constituents in their collective effort to stall legislation.
In May, the same lawmakers walked out of the House to prevent a controversial election bill from passing. Despite the first and second attempts to flee the scene, a special session was extended and is ongoing.
Speaker Phelan said Cortez “represented to me and his fellow members that he wanted to work on policy and find solutions to bring his colleagues back to Texas.” Allegedly, he did not consult with his fellow Democrat lawmakers before returning. Cortez can not be arrested outside Texas.