October 3, 2003

Texas House GOP Leaders Push Yom Kippur Redistricting Vote

Listed in: Other Domestic Policy, NJDC News, Press Releases

Washington, DC: Republican leaders of the Texas House of Representatives yesterday adjourned the legislature until Sunday afternoon to debate the controversial issue of congressional redistricting with the understanding that the debate and subsequent votes may continue through the solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. After Jewish members informed Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick's (R) staff of the scheduling conflict at the beginning of Thursday's session, the Republican leadership decided to move forward with the Sunday session. Today's Austin American-Statesman reports, "In an attempt to avoid a conflict with Yom Kippur, Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, on Thursday asked the House to adjourn until 8 p.m. Monday, when the observance would be over. "I'm told by some of our members on the floor that they will have to be out of here by 3 o'clock p.m. (Sunday) so they can make their arrangements to observe the holiday," Dunnam told colleagues. "And I know and you know that we wouldn't do this on Easter." The House rejected Rep. Dunnam's motion by a party-line vote, with 68 Republicans opposing the measure, and 35 Democrats and 2 Republicans supporting it.

"It is simply wrong for Texas GOP leaders to force Jewish Texas House members all Democrats to choose between observing the holiest day on the Jewish calendar and fulfilling their professional obligation to vote on the most egregiously partisan power-grab in recent decades," said National Jewish Democratic Council Executive Director Ira N. Forman. "It is understandable that Texas House leaders might not have been aware of the scheduling conflict. But once informed of it, their refusal to accept a plan to delay the session until Monday evening is nothing short of unacceptable. I keep hearing that the Bush Administration and the Republican Party nationwide is engaged in an all-out effort to court the Jewish vote; if this if the Republican idea of Jewish outreach, then I'd hate to see what benign neglect looks like."

The Austin American-Statesman article quotes several Jewish House members as they reflect on the difficult position they have been placed in:

** Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston: "The possibility is that I will have to either choose to not follow the teachings of my religion or not be here to vote on an important issue. ...It appears that the desire for redistricting is so strong that respect for people's religious beliefs gets trampled in the process."

** Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin: "I think it's unfortunate and insensitive to insist on scheduling the House to convene on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, when there is no legislative necessity to do so. ...People of all faiths should be outraged."

"These moves by the Texas House leadership just add insult to injury adding the insult of pressing Jewish representatives to forego their religious observance to the injury of a Republican attempt to seize more power by brute force redistricting efforts, flying in the face of any claim of bipartisanship. But Texas GOP leaders can still agree to postpone the debate and votes until a time when members will not be forced to choose between observing their faith and taking part in this critical debate," Forman added.