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() Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier has spent the last two nights sleeping in the Texas state Capitol in protest of redistricting efforts by Republicans.
Collier, joined by her Democratic colleagues, is calling for Republican lawmakers to prioritize flood relief instead of creating a new electoral map.
“We believe flood legislation should be first. We need to focus on providing the assistance and help that Texans need. Not doing what Trump has instructed,” Collier said.
Collier said her decision to sleep in the Capitol was in response to troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety being ordered by House Speaker Dustin Burrows to provide “around-the-clock escorts” for lawmakers after Democrats fled the state to block a vote on a Republican-backed redistricting proposal earlier this month.
“I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m not a criminal. So, there’s no reason for me or my democratic colleagues to be in the custody of the Department of Public Safety,” Collier said.
Collier told ” Live” on Wednesday that there was no legitimate reason Republicans should be seeking a mid-decade change to the map.
“Let the people decide who they want to represent them, that’s all we are asking. We want fair maps, fair elections,” Collier said. “We saw that there was an introduction of legislation at the federal level to prohibit mid-decade redistricting, and I’m all for that.”
The proposed map would give Republicans in Texas five more seats in next year’s midterm elections.