State Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, has been an outspoken critic of the redistricting maps, which she argues dilute minority voting power.
AUSTIN, Texas — A Fort Worth lawmaker is staging her own stand inside the Texas Capitol.
State Rep. Nicole Collier must remain on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives after declining to sign a document Monday that would assign her a law enforcement escort to monitor her movements across the state, according to a news release.
This comes in the wake of a tense standoff between Republicans and Democrats that has stretched on for weeks. Earlier this month, dozens of House Democrats left the state, many to Chicago, to prevent a quorum and stall a special legislative session focused on redrawing the state’s congressional maps.
House Speaker Dustin Burrows said Monday that Democrats who previously left the state could not leave the chamber unless they agreed to having a DPS escort. Collier refused one and must remain in the chamber.
Collier, a seven-term lawmaker and former chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus who represents a majority-minority district, said she will not submit to what she described as intimidation tactics.
“I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts,” Collier said in a statement.
For Collier, the fight is about protecting her constituents against what she calls discriminatory redistricting maps that weaken minority voting power.
“My constituents sent me to Austin to protect their voices and rights,” she said. “When I press that button to vote, I know these maps will harm my constituents — I won’t just go along quietly with their intimidation or their discrimination.”
Democratic colleagues have voiced support for Collier’s decision and called on House leadership to restore public access to the chamber galleries, which were closed during the standoff. State Rep. Jasmine Crockett said in a post on X that, “Texas Republicans have lost their damn minds.”
The Texas Senate redistricting committee approved the maps on Sunday, and the full Senate will take them up sometime this week.