State Rep. Gina Hinojosa is one of the most prominent critics of Gov. Greg Abbott's school voucher scheme.
Texas House Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, stops for a photo on the campaign trail. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor

A total of 17 Democrats in the Texas House — including three now running for statewide office — are holding out on paying fines chamber leadership imposed over last summer’s quorum break to halt Gov. Greg Abbott’s redistricting efforts.

Meanwhile, some Texas Dems who did cough up the financial penalty by the May 5 deadline, including San Antonio State Rep. Diego Bernal, scrawled F.U. messages on their checks.

The three Democrats running for statewide office who haven’t yet paid their fines are U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa and Vikki Goodwin, who’s running for lieutenant governor.

The three Democrats’ individual campaigns didn’t immediately respond to the Current’s request for comment. However, if they fail to pay their fines, a portion of their official office budgets could be withheld, under House rules.

At least one San Antonio rep, outgoing lawmaker Ray Lopez, is also on the list of those who haven’t yet paid.

Meanwhile, the messages some fine-paying Democratic lawmakers left in the “memo” sections of their checks let House leadership know just how they felt, according to reporting by online news site Texas Voice.

State Rep. Ana Maria Ramos, who represents a district north of Dallas, wrote “Hijos de puta” on her check, which roughly translates to “sons of bitches.”

San Antonio’s Bernal simply wrote “B.S.” on his.

Texas Democrats scattered across the country to block last year’s mid-period redistricting, which Abbott ordered after President Donald Trump demanded that Texas draw up five new congressional seats. The president issued the request to stave off midterm Republican losses in the U.S. House.

Democrats in the Texas House fled the state to shut down the effort, which they argued would disenfranchise voters. Despite the quorum breaking, Republicans successfully completed the redistricting.

Most fines imposed on Democratic lawmakers for the quorum break were around $6,000 with another $2,400 in fees thrown in to cover Department of Public Safety expenses, Texas Voice reports.

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Michael Karlis is a multimedia journalist at the San Antonio Current, whose coverage in print and on social media focuses on local and state politics. He is a graduate of American University in Washington,...