Democratic State Representative from San Antonio heads back to Washington D.C.

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — A Democratic State Representative from San Antonio is piling up some frequent flyer miles.

Representative Phillip Cortez is one of the Texas lawmakers who fled Austin for Washington D.C. earlier this month.

The group of 57 representatives broke quorum during the special session of the state legislature over a voting bill that Democrats claim amounts to voter suppression.

Cortez came back to Austin last week. He said it was because he wanted to start discussions with a group of Democrats on how to improve an election integrity bill.

But Cortez says little progress was made on House Bill 3, so he boarded a plane and flew back to D.C.

He released this statement before leaving:

“After discussions on improving House Bill 3 have not produced progress, I rejoined my Democratic colleagues in Washington, D.C. I stand firm in my resolve to remain with the Democratic Caucus until the special session ends, and to do whatever it takes to fight for the freedom to vote for all Texans.”

The group of Democrats says they will stay in Washington D.C. until August 6. That’s when the special legislative session ends.