House Bill 18 would fine absent state lawmakers and their donors for certain political contributions during future quorum breaks.
AUSTIN, Texas — After dozens of Texas House Democrats left the state for two weeks to block a new congressional map favoring Republicans, the Texas House approved tougher rules on Tuesday for lawmakers who break quorum in the future.
House Bill 18 would stop lawmakers from being able to raise and spend campaign money if they are out of the state breaking quorum. It would ban any state legislator who breaks quorum from accepting political donations exceeding their daily per diem, which is the set amount lawmakers receive in state funding every day during regular and special sessions. That figure is currently $221.
HB 18 would also block donors from giving beyond that limit. Additionally, the bill bans the use of political funds to pay for travel, food or lodging during a quorum break.
Lawmakers who accept contributions would face a fine of $5,000. Each contribution they get would be a separate violation.
To enforce the bill, the heads of either chamber – the House speaker or the lieutenant governor – would have to file complaints in district court in that lawmaker’s home county. Those complaints would undergo expedited hearings, with all appeals being reviewed by the 15th Court of Appeals.
State Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) said the bill is a crucial step to ensure lawmakers cannot financially benefit while preventing the Texas Legislature from conducting its work.
“This proposed legislation will help discourage financial gain from unexcused absences,” Shaheen said. “HB 18 strikes a careful balance between the right of the legislative minority to resist legislation and the prerogative of the majority to conduct business.”
The bill comes after Texas House Democrats received donations to support their two-week-long absence, including money from Powered By People, a PAC run by former Congressman Beto O’Rourke. House Democrats have denied they were using the quorum break as a fundraising opportunity.
State Rep. John Bucy (D-Austin) pushed back, arguing quorum-breaking is a legal and constitutional move. It has a long history of being used in Texas by the minority to object to actions by the majority party.
“Why would you bring legislation that seems clearly to be an attempt to intimidate political opposition that are utilizing their constitutional right?” Bucy asked Shaheen.
“I don’t believe in political intimidation,” Shaheen responded. “That’s not what this bill does.”
When asked what the bill does, Shaheen said the bill “punishes individuals who are absent from the Capitol for the purposes of stopping the legislative process in the Texas Legislature.”
State Rep. Mitch Little added an amendment to make the bill’s fundraising prohibitions during a quorum break apply to legislative caucuses as well, to prevent the donations from going to them and then being distributed to members.
Democrats accused Republicans of trying to silence the voices of the minority party.
“What HB 18 delivers is punishment, not for the representatives who took a stand against something that is fundamentally unjust, but for ordinary Texans who want their voices heard during a political fight,” said state Rep. Vincent Perez (D-El Paso). “This bill punishes ordinary Texans who want to support their elected representatives in the middle of a political fight, if a nurse in my district or a teacher or a veteran sends a modest contribution to help cover basic expenses, while standing up for them during a court break.”
House Democrats accrued nearly $10,000 worth of fines while they were gone. They were fined $500 for each day they were absent, which equals $7,000, given that Democrats were absent for 14 days. Democrats were also hit with more than $2,300 each in additional costs spent on trying to locate them and return them to the state. In total, the fines amount to $9,354.25.
That’s just where the penalties start in an effort to crack down on quorum breaks. The House Committee on Administration met Monday night and advanced a bill with new penalties. Under House Resolution 128, lawmakers would face more expensive fines for intentionally skipping a legislative session to prevent a quorum. Right now, it’s $500 a day. But it would increase to three times the per diem lawmakers get each day.
The proposed penalties also include stripping lawmakers of chair or vice-chair positions after two or more consecutive days of absence, and reducing seniority for each day missed beyond a three-day absence.
During the hearing on Monday, state Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso) said the resolution doesn’t clearly define all of the penalties for breaking quorum. He specifically pointed to a line in the resolution that states lawmakers could face “any other penalty allowed by the house rules in accordance with the Texas constitution.”
It is unclear when the full House could vote on the resolution. If it passes, the new rules will only apply to future quorum breaks and would not apply retroactively to House Democrats who left the state during the first special session of the 2025 legislative session.