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TEXIT: State representative introduces Texas Independence Referendum Act in state legislature
Texas secession bill filed by Republican near Dallas seeks vote on TEXIT, state's independence from US
TEXIT: State representative introduces Texas Independence Referendum Act in state legislature
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.
TEXIT: State representative introduces Texas Independence Referendum Act in state legislature ©Provided by Washington Examiner
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.
"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.”
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.
https://archive.is/DtEjj
Texas secession bill filed by Republican near Dallas seeks vote on TEXIT, state's independence from US
Once again, a bill filed in Austin aims to give Texas voters a choice on whether the state should secede from the federal government.
©Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer
HB 3596, known as the "Texas Independence Referendum Act," or TEXIT, was filed by state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, on Monday. If passed, Texans would be able to vote in the next general election on the possibility of Texas becoming an independent state. Then if there is a majority vote by the people, a committee will plan the next steps in the state seceding from the Union.
It's a recurring theme in Texas to flirt with the idea of state independence, since it became its own country when it separated from Mexico in 1836 and didn't join the U.S. until 1845. The bill was filed on the 187th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo.
"The Texas Constitution is clear that all political power resides in the people," Slaton said in a press release. "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."
TEXIT wouldn't really work
Last legislative session, former state Rep. Kyle Biedermann filed a similar bill in which Texans could vote on a possible state secession, but ultimately the bill died before receiving a hearing. Even more recently, Slaton filed a resolution seeking an election to allow voters to decide on Texas' independence in June 2022.
TEXIT is a popular thought, but even if the referendum made it to the ballot and it received a majority vote, state independence is still not feasible. An 1869 case, Texas v. White, decided individual states could not secede from the U.S., even if voted on by the people in that state.
https://archive.is/gYiV2