KTSM News – Texas House gives final approval to redistricting map, setting stage for Senate vote

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — On Wednesday evening, Texas House members voted to give final approval to House Bill 4, which would implement a new U.S. congressional map for the state. The vote passed 88-52 along party lines.

The final vote came less than an hour after the House gave preliminary approval to the bill. After that vote, Speaker Dustin Burrows moved for the House to adjourn for five minutes. The move allowed a third reading vote to happen Wednesday evening, an unusual move to expedite the bill being sent to the Texas Senate.

Democrats are protesting the map, which President Donald Trump said is an attempt to flip five U.S. House seats from Democratic to Republican.

To start, State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington, proposed an amendment removing the enacting clause of the bill, which would effectively kill it. Turner argued the map is a clear violation of the Voting Rights Act and said the Texas House should be focused on working for Texans, not for the president of the United States.

“Today, there aren’t any bills on the floor for flood relief, no bills for tax reform, no bills to lighten the burden for Texas families,” Turner said. “There’s only one item. The very first item of this special session. The item that we have a call on the House for.”

After over an hour of debate, Turner’s amendment was tabled by a final vote of 87-50.

In addition to the map vote, State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, prefilled an amendment tying the change of the map to Attorney General Pam Bondi releasing the Epstein files.

“Trump is in those files, and that’s why he’s fighting to keep them hidden,” Wu said. “At the same time he’s demanding Abbott ram through racist maps, he’s making sure Congressional Republicans block the release of files that could expose his decades-long relationship with a child sex trafficker. This amendment forces Republicans to choose between their loyalty to Trump and their obligation to expose sexual predators.”

On the other side of the aisle, Republicans are happy to move forward from the redistricting battle.

“In about 12 hours, the silly games, petulant name-calling and ridiculous publicity stunts of our Democrat colleagues will be met with the resounding and overwhelming adoption of the fair, legal and constitutional congressional redistricting plan, HB 4,” State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, wrote. “I can’t wait to vote YES to send the Big Beautiful Map to the desk of [Gov. Greg Abbott]!”

A crowd gathered at the Capitol Wednesday morning to protest the plans for a new congressional map. They could be heard chanting “put Texans first.”

This gathering comes after protesters were evacuated off the Capitol grounds Tuesday evening due to a reported threat on social media, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

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