March 31, 2025      12:31 PM

Rep. Harrison adopts liberal Democratic tactics to slow down the work of the Texas House

Denial of a quorum means the speaker couldn’t refer bills. Some of what Harrison’s been protesting are tactics adopted by leadership in 2021 aimed at ending the protracted Democratic quorum break. So, what was meant to rein in Democrats then is now helping embolden a renegade Republican laying the groundwork for a GOP primary for Congress

As we pass the halfway point in session, there have been some annoyances in the Texas House while the Texas Senate’s been busy rubber stamping just about everything Little Gov. Dan Patrick wants. A decade into Patrick’s reign, that’s par for the course. But the real rough water is still ahead, and veterans of the Capitol know we’ll all have to buckle up for what’s next.

In the meantime, it’s probably fine to have a conversation about one of those major and unnecessary annoyances.

Ready?

Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Himself, this past week took his hourly protests against Texas House leadership to another level, shutting down business on Friday by calling for a verification vote on the roll call, proving that of course a quorum was not present. That forced Speaker Dustin Burrows to spend roughly 10 seconds of his weekend on the dais, announcing Saturday the chamber would adjourn until Monday.

To be clear, Harrison’s been bitching nonstop about the House not working fast enough but this maneuver made things go slower. Since the House didn’t convene for legislative business Friday, Speaker Burrows could not refer bills to committees as “precious time is running out” in the legislative session. Harrison and others who argue House leadership is engaged in “running out the clock” just helped burn more time on the clock. Congrats.

Here’s a little history for you, Brian.

By Scott Braddock

Copyright March 31, 2025, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved