EXPLAINER: Texas GOP enlists law enforcement to end standoff

By PAUL J. WEBER and ACACIA CORONADO
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Republican officials in Texas say law enforcement is now helping in the effort  to compel absent Democrats to return to the state Capitol. A spokesman for Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan said Friday that copies of civil warrants are now being delivered to the homes of missing lawmakers. A group of more than 50 Democrats have refused to return to the Capitol since July in an effort to block new voting restrictions. Some are back in Texas but say they’ll continue to stay away from the Capitol. Democrats’ refusal to show up is a civil and not a criminal matter, meaning the warrants signed by the House speaker would not send lawmakers to jail. The goal is to only get them back to the Capitol.