Unusual protest: Nicole Collier to sleep on parliament house floor for second night

AUSTIN: Representative Nicole Collier is expected to spend a second night on the floor of the Texas House chamber after refusing to sign a form that would place her in the custody of a Department of Public Safety (DPS) officer until the House reconvenes on Wednesday.

Collier said she declined to sign the document, which would authorise an officer to monitor her movements and ensure her return. She remained at the Capitol after Monday night, when she was seen sleeping on the House floor with a blanket and bonnet.

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“The speaker has said that unless members, Democratic members, sign a piece of paper agreeing to be released into the custody of DPS to ensure a return on Wednesday at 10 AM, we are not free to leave, and I have refused to sign,” Collier told NBC News.

On Tuesday afternoon, four other Democratic lawmakers – Representatives Mihaela Plesa, Rhetta Bowers, Penny Morales Shaw, and Casandra Garcia Hernandez – tore up their permission slips in support of Collier’s decision.

Collier said the requirement to sign the form was an unnecessary exercise of authority. “I didn’t feel like I should be obligated to sign a piece of paper to be able to leave the floor, because we’re all adults here,” she said. “It’s a show of power over people, and that’s what they’re doing now.”

The protest comes as Texas House Democrats return to Austin after a two-week absence intended to block a vote on Republican-led redistricting plans. The lawmakers traveled to Chicago during the first special session to break quorum. Their absence followed Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for a new congressional map, with support from former President Donald Trump, who urged lawmakers to redraw districts in a way that could increase Republican representation in Congress.

Now back in Austin, Democrats are subject to a $500 fine for each day missed during the session. House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, required returning Democrats to sign a document allowing DPS to escort them until the House reconvenes.

In a statement, Burrows said Collier’s refusal to sign the form falls within her rights under House rules. “I am choosing to spend my time focused on moving the important legislation on the call,” he said, listing property tax reform, camp safety, and elimination of the STAAR test.

Collier criticised the use of state resources for monitoring lawmakers. “These DPS officers could be looking for pedophiles and human traffickers,” she said, “but instead, they’re being asked to trail Democratic state representatives.”

She also filed a legal complaint arguing that the state has no authority to place elected officials in custody without cause. “There’s no crime that has been committed,” Collier said. “We are being instructed that if I want to leave, I’ve got to agree to be in their custody.”

According to Collier, she is restricted to the chamber or her office and cannot leave the Capitol without an escort. In a written statement, she added, “I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts.”

Democratic county officials in Dallas and Tarrant counties voiced support for Collier on Tuesday. “Thank you to Rep Collier for her stance in defense of legislative dignity and democratic representation,” said Alisa Simmons, Tarrant County commissioner for Precinct 2. Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price said, “Thank you for the courage to do what everybody else should have done. Don’t sign no permission slip.”

Political observers say the protest will not change the outcome of the redistricting vote. “Republicans are going to pass their map intact or very nearly so tomorrow,” said Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. “There’s nothing the Democrats can do to obstruct the outcome here.”

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Wilson added that the protest could increase Collier’s political visibility. “It raises her profile and gets attention both in her own district and statewide,” he said. “It was a wise political move on her part.”

He also noted the broader context. “Texas is unusual in requiring two-thirds of the legislature to be present to create a quorum,” Wilson said. “That allows the potential for quorum breaks and extended protests. But Republicans have escalated their response this time, including fines, warrants, and surveillance.”