House withdraws memorial calendar after heated floor debate over resolution honoring Cecile Richards

The Texas House on April 17 withdrew a motion to adopt its memorial resolutions calendar after extended debate and repeated parliamentary inquiries over a resolution honoring Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood.

Members objected repeatedly to the calendar process and to a line recognizing Richards, prompting questions about House rules, the ability to record individual objections, and whether a single calendar vote could be divided. Representative Garen moved adoption of the memorial calendar, but the motion was withdrawn later in the day.

The dispute began with repeated parliamentary inquiries about whether the congratulatory and memorial calendar could be debated or divided. Representative Schatzlein asked whether “a resolution such as honoring a famed abortionist” could be extracted and considered separately; the speaker repeatedly said the calendar is adopted by a single motion and cited House Rule 6, Section 12. Representative Chastain and others pressed whether members could register individual “no” entries in the journal and whether those entries could prevent placement on the calendar; the chair said the journal clerk will accept registrations up to a majority and that additional registrations would be entered as statements.

Representative Hopper, speaking against adopting the calendar, framed his remarks around his opposition to honoring Richards. “It is an affront to the dignity of this chamber,” Hopper said, arguing that Richards’ leadership of Planned Parenthood made the honor inappropriate. Representative Schatzlein likewise urged members to register opposition, saying, “Who will speak for the 63,600,000 babies who lost their life?”

Several members, including Representative Romero and Representative Johnson, urged the body to preserve the tradition of honoring individuals regardless of political disagreement. Representative Romero said the memorial calendar “is about courage” and argued members should not let politics prevent honoring people important to colleagues.

Representative Howard, who had sponsored the resolution for Richards, defended the decision to include her, saying Richards “dedicated her life to serving others and advocating her beliefs” and that “she led a remarkable and historic life that deserves to be honored and recognized.” Howard said the Richards family ultimately chose not to attend because of the online controversy and potential for personal attacks.

The chair received a motion to adopt the memorial resolutions and recognized extended debate, pointed parliamentary questions, a request for a record vote on portions of the calendar, and multiple motions to reduce remarks to writing and place them in the journal. After several hours of floor debate and sustained objections, Representative Garen withdrew the motion to adopt the memorial calendar; the chair announced the motion was withdrawn.

The episode also produced floor-level questions about internal procedures. Members repeatedly referenced the minutes of the committee on local and consent calendars as the place to find votes on which resolutions were sent to the calendar, and several members asked which committee members had voted to place the Richards resolution on the calendar. The speaker directed members to committee minutes for that information.

With the motion withdrawn, the memorial calendar was not adopted at this sitting. Members used the debate to register strong views on both procedure and principle: some argued the House should not be required to choose between honoring certain memorials and preserving its traditions, while others said honoring Richards conflicted with their pro‑life commitments and the values they said voters expect them to represent.

The withdrawal leaves unresolved the specific question of whether—and by whom—the Richards resolution will be removed from or refiled for a future calendar. Members also asked that minutes and journal entries clarify which committee placed the resolution on the calendar and how committee votes were recorded.