Texas Voting Standoff Jeopardizes Worker Pay

Austin (AP) – Up to 2,000 Texas legislative staffers are caught in the political crossfire in the standoff over voting restrictions. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed the Legislature’s $400 million section of the budget after Democrats walked out of a legislative session in May and blocked the GOP’s plan to reduce polling hours and ballot access. Many of those same Democratic representatives are now in Washington to continue to thwart Republicans’ plans on the same restrictions. But that means the Legislature also can’t vote to restore its employees salaries. If nothing changes, legislative staffers will go unpaid starting Sept. 1. There is a lawsuit pending before the Texas Supreme Court.