Tucson, Arizona Tuesday, 29 July 2003
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN, Texas - Democratic state lawmakers fled Texas on Monday for the second time in three months to thwart a Republican drive to redraw the state's congressional districts.
Eleven of the 12 Democrats in the state Senate left for Albuquerque as a first special session called by the governor to address redistricting drew to a close and he called a second special session. The second session, which began Monday afternoon, could last up to 30 days.
"We're availing ourselves of a tool given to us by our Texas Constitution to break a quorum," Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos said at an Albuquerque hotel where the 11 Democrats met reporters. "It's not about Demo-crats, it's about democracy."
"This is not an action that we take lightly. There are not many issues that would rise to this kind of action," said Leticia Van de Putte, chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Van de Putte said more than 1.4 million members of minorities in her state would lose effective congressional representation if the Republicans redistrict according to their wishes.
New Mexico state police guarded the hotel, partly out of concern that "bounty hunters" might show up to whisk the lawmakers away.
"There was some concern that our (Republican) leaders would attempt to use off-duty officers, security guards, bounty hunters" to forcibly bring the lawmakers back to Texas, said Sen. John Whitmire.
Asked how long the group might stay in New Mexico, Sen. Judith Zaffirini said: "Thirty days. More if it's necessary."
In May, the Republicans tried to push redistricting toward a vote in the GOP-controlled state House. But 51 Democrats in that chamber fled across the state line to Oklahoma to block a quorum, killing the bill.