Texas State Rep. Nicole Collier (D–Fort Worth) says she is being held inside the Texas House chamber after refusing to sign what she calls a “permission slip” demanded by Republican leadership, escalating an already tense standoff over redistricting.
Collier, speaking in a video update from inside the Capitol, said the GOP majority ordered that Democratic lawmakers who fled the state earlier this month to break quorum must now agree to be released into the custody of the Department of Public Safety (DPS) upon returning.
“The speaker announced that those who had left the state for breaking quorum would be required to sign a permission slip agreeing to be released into the custody of DPS so that they can ensure the return of those members so that they can have a quorum on Wednesday to pass those racist maps,” Collier said. “I refuse, I just refuse to sign this piece of paper. I’m not a criminal.”
Rep. Gene Wu/Texas House Democratic Caucus
According to Collier, once she refused to sign, she was told she would have to remain inside the chamber under lock and key.
“They have locked the doors. The sergeants have been instructed not to allow me to leave until I have a permission slip,” she explained.
She later learned she was permitted to move between her office and the floor, but only under escort by a sergeant, with DPS following her movements.
A Capitol Sit-In
The defiance marks a new chapter in the two-week saga in which Texas Democrats fled the state, many seeking refuge in Illinois, to prevent Republicans from passing new congressional maps. The maps are widely criticized by Democrats and civil rights groups as a partisan gerrymander designed to cement GOP control in Washington.
NBC News reported Tuesday that Collier has been living inside the chamber since Monday, eating, working, and sleeping there. Initially resting in a chair, she was later provided a mattress. Colleagues have supplied food and snacks, and she has access to basic facilities, though no shower.
“My daughters, who are all adults, were tracking me over a livestream and grew concerned when it stopped,” Collier said. After the official stream went down, fellow Democrats set up a new one so her family could monitor her safety.
The redistricting battle has drawn national attention. California Democrats are now weighing their own countermeasures, while Republican-controlled legislatures in other states consider similar mid-decade redistricting efforts.
Collier has made clear she intends to continue her resistance, even if it means staying inside the locked chamber until Labor Day.
“At what point, what is it going to take for us to say, ‘Enough is enough?’ Yesterday was my moment. Enough is enough,” she said. “They want power at all costs. And you’re not taking it from me without a fight.”
The Texas House is set to reconvene on Wednesday morning, Aug. 20.
Unless the rules change to free Democrats from security escorts, Collier says she will not leave her post.
