Texas State Capitol.

According to Texas House rules, a member of the Texas House who is absent from the floor of the Texas Legislature can be fined nearly $400,000.

According to Politico, the fines could exceed $3.2 million if lawmakers miss sessions for consecutive periods of the year.

The Texas House approved new penalties for quorum breaks in 2023, including a $500 fine for each day a member is absent, The Texas Tribune reported at the time. The penalties are applied to members who are “absent without leave with the intent to obstruct the business of the House.”

The fines were implemented after Democrats left the state in 2021 to protest Republican voting restrictions.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers from Texas are scattered across Democratic states nationwide. This is a last-ditch effort to prevent Republicans from adopting a map of U.S. House seats that President Donald Trump wants to implement before the 2026 midterm elections.

When Democrats leave Texas, they are beyond the reach of Texas law enforcement and can block virtually any vote by preventing the 150-member House from achieving the quorum necessary to conduct business.

Politico calculated the financial penalties based on the $500 daily fine, the minimum number of members needed to break quorum, and the expected duration of the lawmakers' absences.

A minimum of 51 Democratic members must be absent to break quorum, resulting in a minimum of $25,500 in fines per day.

Fifty-seven Democratic members did not attend Monday’s session, incurring fines of $28,500.

As the Texas House's special session is scheduled to end on August 19, Democrats may face fines totaling at least $382,500.

Texas Democratic State Rep. John Bucy, one of the lawmakers who fled to Illinois, stated, "We'll deal with the consequences later. That's not what's important right now. What's important is preventing Donald Trump from stealing Congressional district maps and cheating his way into victories in the midterm elections."

According to the Associated Press, Texas Democrats doubt the Republican party's authority to order them to pay the fines.

Andrew Cates, a lawyer specializing in campaign finance, told Politico, "This is a House rule. This is not a law… How in the hell are you going to collect taxes? How are you going to enforce it?"

Governor Abbott also ordered the Texas Rangers to investigate allegations of bribery related to how Democrats paid for the quorum breaks. He asserted that anyone who financially assisted Democratic state lawmakers in leaving the state could be guilty.

President Trump told reporters on Tuesday when asked if federal law enforcement should assist Texas Democrats in returning, "Maybe they should. They may have to."

The remarks came hours after U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) urged the FBI to take official action, Newsmax reported.

NNP=Chief Reporter Sung Ku Hong info@newsandpost.com