Texas Rep. Nicole Collier, a Democrat from Fort Worth, has taken an extraordinary stand against her chamber’s security measures. She refused to sign a “permission slip” required by GOP leadership—pledging to leave the Capitol only with a state trooper escort—and has instead remained overnight on the House chamber floor.
Her protest follows a two-week Democratic walkout, which had blocked a controversial mid-decade redistricting map designed to bolster Republican congressional representation. Despite her return alongside other Democrats, Collier’s refusal to accept the surveillance order symbolizes her broader objection to what she says are coercive, undemocratic tactics.
Fellow Democratic lawmakers have joined her sit-in, tearing up the permission slips in solidarity. Collier has also filed a legal challenge, accusing GOP leaders of unlawfully confining her. While Republicans insist their actions are necessary to ensure lawmakers’ presence for upcoming votes, critics say the measures echo authoritarian control and suppress minority representation.
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