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A Texas lawmaker filed a bill on Monday that would set a referendum for voters to decide whether or not the state should explore the possibility of seceding from the United States.
If the measure — known as the “TEXIT Referendum Act” — passes, a referendum on whether or not Texas “should reassert its status as an independent nation” would be scheduled for the next general election on Nov. 7, 2023. The bill would also require potential plans to be presented to the Legislature.
“The Texas Constitution is clear that all political power resides in the people,” Rep. Bryan Slaton (R) wrote in a statement. “After decades of continuous abuse of our rights and liberties by the federal government, it is time to let the people of Texas make their voices heard.”
A coalition of Texas lawmakers — including Slaton — filed the same bill in March 2021, which was referred to the State Affairs committee. It did not, however, receive a hearing or a vote.
Slaton said this time around, he was filing the bill 187 years after the fall of the Alamo.
“On this 187th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo I’m proud to file this bill to let the people of Texas vote on the future of our State,” Slaton wrote in his statement. “Texas was born out of a desire for liberty and self-governance, and that desire continues to burn in the hearts of all Texans.”
The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) — whose mission is to secure and protect the political, cultural and economic independence of Texas — called the filing of the bill “great news.” Slaton’s renewed push comes exactly two weeks after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) re-upped her call for a “national divorce,” recommending that the U.S. “separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government.” The comments sparked a political storm, with figures from both sides of the aisle criticizing the congresswoman for her remarks.
