Nicole Collier, Democrats and Texas House
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Texas Republicans mandated that Democratic lawmakers not be allowed to leave the state house without a permission slip and a police escort.
Upon returning after a 15-day walkout, Texas House Democrats were asked for consent to be escorted off the floor by DPS officers. Nicole Collier refused and was locked in the chamber Monday night.
A Democratic state lawmaker who fled Texas in protest of a GOP redistricting effort is asking a court to let her exit the Capitol, after she was told she needs a police escort to leave the building.
"They said it's a felony for me to do this. Apparently I can't be on the floor or in the bathroom," Nicole Collier said.
Texas Republicans insisted that Democrats have around-the-clock police escorts to ensure they wouldn’t leave again.
The standoff with Democratic Rep. Nicole Collier comes as the Texas legislature moves forward with new congressional maps. Texas Republicans are pushing mid-decade redistricting to create five new