The Texas House is expected to take on a new bill this week following the high drama over redistricting, a proposal that would punish lawmakers who leave the state to block votes.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate are considering nearly identical bills to replace the test as they gather for a second special legislative session.

House Bill 27, a bill proposed by state Rep. Cody Harris relating to a groundwater study in the Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District, is one step closer to seeing a vote on the Texas House floor.

The administration has been testing a strategy of using the courts as leverage to force political outcomes. In Texas, the state’s leaders and conservative activists have been willing, if not eager, collaborators.

The Texas Senate approved the GOP-favored voting map that could flip five seats in the 2026 midterm elections.