Future Texas quorum busters' seats could be forfeit if Gov. Abbott has his way

AUSTIN - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced three new agenda items for the second Special Session of the legislature Wednesday night.

The first of the items would add new penalties for legislators who break quorum; a topical issue, hot on the heels of the House's partisan passing of a newly redrawn congressional district map. 

New Texas Special Session items

What we know:

The new Items were announced in a Wednesday night release from the governor's office as follows:

• Legislation to impose penalties or punishments for legislators who willfully absent themselves during a session
• Legislation to authorize a person to purchase Ivermectin at a pharmacy
• Legislation relating to a groundwater study of East Texas aquifers by the Texas Water Development Board prior to the issuance of permits or permit amendments by certain groundwater conservation districts

The new penalty, laid out in House Bill 64, would allow for a member's seat to be vacated if they leave the state for seven days during a session. 

HB 64 is coauthored by numerous Republican members. It was referred to the State Affairs committee on Wednesday.

What they're saying:

"Today I am expanding the agenda for the second special session to include important issues that will benefit Texas," said Governor Abbott. "First, we need to ensure that rogue lawmakers cannot hijack the important business of Texans during a legislative session by fleeing the state. Additionally, Texans should have increased access to the benefits of Ivermectin. Finally, we need to ensure appropriate studies are conducted to protect the health of East Texas aquifers."

Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park), the author of HB 64, posted on X about the proposal, saying the bill has the support of a majority of the Texas House. 

What we don't know:

The specific penalties that would be added for quorum busters was not expanded upon. 

New Texas congressional map

The backstory:

Earlier Wednesday evening, the House passed a new map, along with House Bill 4 regarding redistricting, after a two-week stall caused by Texas Democrat representatives who left the state to prevent a quorum 

After weeks of Abbott, AG Ken Paxton, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, and other leaders calling for the lawmakers' arrests, the legislators eventually returned to Texas of their own accord. 

The Texas Democrats agreed to return for the second Special Session as long as certain conditions were met, including responding Democrat-leaning redistricting efforts in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom has stated his support of such efforts. 

This week, after regaining quorum, Democrats were not allowed to leave the House unless they signed permission slips for Texas DPS troopers to track their whereabouts outside of session proceedings. 

Rep. Nicole Collier (D-Fort Worth) and Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) refused to sign these slips, and subsequently stayed in the chamber until the proposal passed on Wednesday.

Is ivermectin legal to buy?

Dig deeper:

Ivermectin is a drug authorized by the FDA as a treatment for parasites. There has been interest in using the medication to treat or prevent COVID-19, though the FDA has not approved it for that purpose.

Since ivermectin is widely used in veterinary medicine for the use of its anti-parasitic qualities, some people have reported purchasing it from farm suppliers; or on Amazon, where it's readily available for purchase with a prescription. 

While the FDA has not approved it for COVID-19 specifically, they say prescriptions come down to the discretion of the healthcare provider: 

"From the FDA’s perspective, with few exceptions, health care professionals may choose to prescribe or use an approved human drug for an unapproved use when they judge that the unapproved use is medically appropriate for an individual patient. If your health care provider writes you an ivermectin prescription, fill it through a legitimate source such as a pharmacy."

The FDA notes that ivermectin is dangerous at large doses.

Texas PoliticsGreg Abbott