Texas lawmakers are getting back to work this week after House Democrats returned for the second special legislative session.

The Democrats didn’t attend the first session to block one item on the agenda —congressional redistricting.

Democratic Representative Erin Gamez — who represents parts of Brownsville — was among those who wasn’t at the first session. She said she wants fellow lawmakers to focus on what matters. 

“Flood mitigation first — not other politicized agenda — including redistricting,” Gamez said. “We are back specifically focusing on flood relief and putting people, not politics, first.”

Along with flood relief for the Texas Hill Country following a destructive July 4 flash flood, THC regulations and the end of the STAAR test are on the agenda.

But it's the efforts to redraw congressional maps that's causing conflict in the legislature. 

“We now know from this proposed map, over 290,000 votes would be stripped from the Valley and moved north towards Corpus Christi," Gamez said.

The White House pressured Texas lawmakers to redraw the districts ahead of the 2026 congressional election. 

Representative Gamez says the maps allow politicians to choose the voters.

Republican Janie Lopez, who represents the rest of Cameron County and all of Willacy County, said the battle over redistricting isn't over.

“We are going to see the maps again. I know they already put maps together in the special session, and we are going to see if there are going to be changes in those maps proposed,” Lopez said.

Under the proposed maps, the districts will be redrawn for all three Rio Grande Valley representatives in Congress.

Lopez said the Republican Party is looking at what the voter wants.

“I think the voters have spoken loud and clear that they don't like the policies that the Democrats are creating for us,” Lopez said. 

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