A conservative state representative introduced a bill in the Texas state legislature on Monday. If passed, it would give residents a chance to vote on the state seceding from the
A conservative state representative introduced a bill in the Texas state legislature on Monday. If passed, it would give residents a chance to vote on the state seceding from the United States.
Republican State Rep. Bryan Slaton said he was “proud” to introduce the bill, the Texas Independence Referendum Act, or H.B. 3596, because it gives the people of Texas a way to make their voices heard.
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“The Texas Constitution is clear that all political power resides in the people,” Slaton tweeted.
“After decades of continuous abuse of our rights and liberties by the federal government, it is time to let the people of Texas make their voices heard. On this 187th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo I’m proud to file this bill to let the people of Texas vote on the future of our state.”
A state lawmaker also attempted to add a referendum on secession in 2021. If it passes, the legislature will establish a commission to investigate the feasibility of Texas leaving the United States and provide recommendations to both chambers.
A movement called the Texas Nationalist Movement, or TEXIT, has long pushed for legislation to make the state its own sovereign nation. The organization claimed Texas should be “politically self-governing, culturally distinct, and economically independent,” according to its website.
“The people of Texas will look back on this day as a historic first step in taking back our autonomy and our right to self-determination from the federal government,” Texas Nationalist Movement President Daniel Miller said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.
“Sixty-six percent of likely voters in Texas support this referendum coming up for a vote, and we thank Rep. Slaton for taking heed and giving them the opportunity to make their voice heard at the ballot box. We look forward to working with legislators to get this bill passed and the referendum on the ballot.”
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The organization touts 440,000 members and is the third-largest political organization in the state. The only two that are bigger are the Texas Republican Party and the Texas Democratic Party, according to a press release.
Discussions around secession, which is not covered in the Constitution, have been happening off and on in Texas since it joined the United States in 1846.
However, there was a period between 1836, when it seceded from Mexico, and 1846 when it joined the U.S. that it was its own independent state — the Republic of Texas.
Original Location: TEXIT: State representative introduces Texas Independence Referendum Act in state legislature
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