"To those who are absent, return now," House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Lubbock Republican, said from the House floor. "Show the courage to face the issues you are elected to solve. Come back and fulfill your duty, because this House will not sit quietly while you obstruct the work of the people."

Dozens of Democratic state lawmakers in Texas have scattered to points across the country in a last-ditch effort to prevent Republicans from adopting U.S. House maps that President Donald Trump wants in place before the 2026 midterm elections.