Senate committee backs bill to curb fundraising tied to out-of-state quorum breaks

The Senate Committee on State Affairs on Friday voted to report House Bill 18 favorably to the full Senate after a discussion about limiting financial incentives tied to quorum-breaking absences.

Senator Tina Hossa, the bill’s sponsor, told the committee that “House Bill 18 establishes penalties for lawmakers who intentionally break quorum for the purpose of bringing the Texas legislature to a halt.” She said the measure “prohibits members absent from the state with an without an excused absence for quorum breaking purposes, from accepting contributions larger than the daily legislative per diem or from paying for travel related expenses with campaign funds.”

The bill would bar affected members from accepting contributions larger than a single day’s legislative per diem and would prohibit them from making political expenditures from campaign accounts “for travel, food, or lodging expenses in connection with the…