Texas House fails to reach quorum; Speaker says he signed civil arrest warrants, adjourns until Wednesday

The Texas House of Representatives failed to reach a quorum during a special session, with the presiding officer announcing “There being 94 members present, a quorum is not present,” and saying he had signed civil arrest warrants for absent members and asked the Texas Department of Public Safety to compel their attendance. The matter matters because the House’s disaster preparedness committee is scheduled to consider five priority pieces of legislation addressing catastrophic flooding, and the presiding officer said all elected members should be present to represent their districts in those discussions. During the session, a House member raised a parliamentary inquiry about committee authority. “Isn't it true that the House Committee on General Investigating, by statute or rule has the authority to convene regardless of whether our body has a quorum?” asked Mister Little, a House member. The presiding officer replied, “In between adjournments, yes,” but said he would not entertain general questions about House rules at that time. The presiding officer told members that he met with leadership of the Texas Department of Public Safety and that “DPS is actively working to compel their attendance after I signed their civil arrest warrants yesterday and will continue to do so until those members are back in this chamber.” He said DPS would need time to work and that the chamber would try again to make a quorum on Friday. The presiding officer also directed that written permission be entered in the journal for each member registered as present to leave the chamber and return Friday at 1 p.m. He said the call of the House remained in force, that the House may adjourn from day to day under House rules, and that he would call the House to order in pro forma sessions Wednesday and Thursday. A motion to adjourn was made on the floor: “Mister Garen moves, the house stand adjourned until 9AM, Wednesday.” The chair heard no objection and the motion carried. The house stood adjourned. The transcript shows the invocation and pledges occurred before the quorum call and parliamentary inquiry; Stan Kitsmott of Waller County led the pledges and Furman Carpenter, identified as the Department of Public Safety chaplain, offered the invocation. The record does not specify the names of the absent members for whom arrest warrants were signed, the number of warrants, or the precise statutory authority cited for the warrants beyond references to House rules and statute. Less central procedural items recorded before adjournment included the clerk being asked to ring the bell to notify members and the chair’s statement that the disaster preparedness committee was meeting to consider five priority bills aimed at catastrophic flooding.