Texas Secession Resolution Passes State GOP Committee, Headed For Full-Assembly Vote Saturday

A state Republican committee — the Republican Party of Texas’ Resolution Committee — approved on Friday in Austin a resolution to put the issue of Texas secession on the ballot for Republican primary voters in March.

But according to party officials, before the independence resolution goes for a full party vote on the March 1 primary ballot, it must clear a second hurdle — it has to be approved on Saturday at the regular meeting of the full assembly of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC), the governing body of the Republican Party of the Texas, consisting of 40 members.

The Republican Party of Texas’ Resolution Committee is responsible for approving resolutions that go before the full SREC assembly.

Members of the Republican Party of Texas’ Resolution Committee, who met during a regular meeting of the SREC, submitted the secession resolution to a vote after prior discussions to agree on the wordings and language of the resolution.

State Republican Executive Committee member Tanya Robertson, SD11, who introduced the resolution, urged that Texas independence should be put on the ballot for Republican primary voters so they have the opportunity to express dissatisfaction with federal government fiscal policy and affairs in Washington D.C.

Robertson insists that many of her constituents have voiced support for Texas independence.

Despite efforts of the opponents of the Texas independence initiative to stop the resolution being debated by the SREC, supporters say the party should not prevent them from voicing their views on a matter that opponents condemn as unconstitutional and unpatriotic.

The wording of the resolution agreed upon before the voting stated that Texas and its people reserve the right to “reassert to its prior status as an independent nation” if the federal government continues to violate the Constitution and sovereignty of the State of Texas.

“If the federal government continues to disregard the Constitution and the sovereignty of the State of Texas, the State of Texas and its people should reassert its prior status as an independent nation.”

The clause “reassert its prior status as an independent nation” refers to the independent Republic of Texas that came into being following the declaration of independence from Mexico on March 1, 1836. The Republic of Texas was short-lived; it joined the Union on December 29, 1845.

Six members of the committee spoke in favor of the resolution and none opposed it.

The resolution was passed finally by a 7-4 vote.

Breitbart lists committee members who voted in favor of the resolutions as including Bonnie Lugo, SD13; Terri DuBose, SD19; Karl Voigtsberger, SD8; John W. Beckmeyer, SD28; Naomi Narvaiz, SD21; Henry Childs, SD19; and Marvin Clede, SD17.

Members who voted against included, Committee Chairman Mark Ramsey, SD7; Davita Stike, SD14; Sam Dalton, SD20; and David Halvorson, SD12.

“We made it through the Resolution Committee and will take it up on the floor tomorrow at the regular SREC meeting,” said Robertson, who represents Galveston, Brazoria, and parts of Harris counties. “Thanks to the seven members of the SREC Resolutions Committee who voted to move the Texas Independence initiative to the floor for a fair debate. They listened to the conservative grassroots of Texas today and it is very much appreciated!”

“The committee veered from the agenda today and accepted testimony from the Texans who were observing today,” Robertson added. “All of the testimony was passionately in-favor of allowing Texans to voice their opinion on this issue. Our prayer is that the body of the State Republican Executive Committee will adhere to the will of the conservative people of Texas.”

Daniel Miller, President of the Texas Nationalist Movement, told Breitbart, “We’re obviously excited and hopeful. This was not the first step or the last step. It was another step. We know that Texans want a vote on independence and we’ll continue to work to ensure that Texans get it.”

“It’s interesting to note that our proposition received more committee votes than nearly every hot button issue,” he added. “People want to be heard on this issue.”

However, many top party officials, including the Texas Republican State Party Chairman Tom Mechler, have voiced pessimism about the prospects of the resolution being approved by the SREC.

The Houston Chronicle reports that an “informal poll” of executive committee members it conducted showed that the assembly was split on the issue.

According to the Houston Chronicle, only 13 of 40 SREC members polled responded. Six said they would support the proposal, while six said they would not.

One member declined to reveal his position

Previous polls suggest that a significant minority of Texans support secession. A 2009 Rasmussen survey found that 18 percent of Texans supported independence while 7 percent said they were undecided.

Similarly, a September 2014 Reuters survey of 9,000 people across the U.S. found that about “1 in 4 Americans (25 percent) were open to secession.” The survey — based on the question, “Do you support or oppose the idea of your state peacefully withdrawing from the U.S.A and the federal government?” — found that the proportion of the populace open to the idea of their state seceding from the union peaks at 34 percent in three states of the Southwest including Texas.

Experts are also pessimistic about the prospects of Texas seceding peacefully from the union following the 1861 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, which declared secession illegal. The ruling implies that the federal government has a constitutional duty to use force against any state that attempts to secede from the union.

However, even if the present resolution passes the SREC and eventually goes to ballot for Republican primary voters, it remains a non-binding resolution. This implies that it serves only as an opinion survey and is not legally binding.

[Photo by Tom Williams/Getty Images]