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State Rep. Philip Cortez (D-San Antonio) is one of the few Democratic lawmakers in the Texas House who is not out-of-state as his colleagues have staged a quorum break to prevent the passage of a GOP redistricting bill.
“I support my colleagues that have gone to Chicago," Cortez told News 4 SA at a back-to-school fair at Palo Alto College on Saturday.
Cortez was absent on Monday from the House roll call but was present for the remainder of the week.
"I broke quorum four years ago to stop some other voting injustices that were happening at the Capitol," he said. "So I know the sacrifices that my colleagues are doing each and every day by being in Chicago, and I wholeheartedly support them."
In 2021, Cortez broke quorum to stop the GOP voter security bill known as SB1 but returned to try and negotiate an election bill with Republicans. He then left the state again to join Democrats in Washington.
That bill ended up passing, although several of its voting restrictions have since been ruled unconstitutional by a federal court.
This time around, state Republican leadership has taken a harder stance against the Democrats. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows have taken legal action to enforce arrest warrants for Democrats who left the state to protest redistricting efforts.
"For me and my decision to stay here, it was a lot of different variables that led me to this decision. Having to do with family, having to do with the previous quorum break and some of the results that happened from that quorum break," said Cortez, who has represented House District 117 on the western edge of San Antonio since 2013.
"It's important to also have a voice at the Capitol as all this is going on, and I intend to be that voice not only for my residents, but also for my colleagues that are in Chicago," he added.
Cortez was unavailable for follow-up questions Saturday after his appearance at the back-to-school fair.
The annual event at Palo Alto College is hosted by Cortez, The San Antonio Food Bank, University Health, and other community organizations.
Hannah Reinhard, chief of staff for House District 117, said the event is meant to pass out backpacks and school supply sets.
"There's also additional community partners passing out additional supplemental school supplies as well," she said. "We do dental examinations, so just like a little tech check-up on your teeth, vaccines, produce from the courtesy of the food bank, as well as like a cooking demonstration, a healthy cooking demonstration."
Reinhard added that they expected to serve anywhere from 800 to 1,000 families during the day on Saturday.
