SMU political science professor Matthew Wilson explains the rarely enforced rules being applied during this second special session of the legislature.

A compilation of livestreams of the House chamber posted by the House Democratic Caucus and Collier have captured much of her time locked in, earning tens of thousands of views. Though they are able to leave, she was joined overnight by Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat, who chairs the caucus and Rep. Vince Perez, an El Paso Democrat.

Collier speaks about her surreal ordeal, wherein she refused to sign a permission slip and accept a police escort to leave the Austin statehouse and had to sleep there for two nights.

Fort Worth Democrat Nicole Collier refused to sign the permission slip Monday that allow her to leave only if she is shadowed by a DPS agent until the

Rep. Nicole Collier is asking a Travis County district judge to rule that she’s allowed to leave the Texas Capitol. The Fort Worth Democrat has been confined to Texas Capitol since Monday after refusing to sign a “permission slip” turning her over to Texas Department of Public Safety custody for monitoring.

Activists protest the confinement of Rep. Nicole Collier (D-Fort Worth) outside the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol Austin, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. Rep. Collier has not left the House floor after refusing to have a DPS escort in order to do so.

The Fort Worth Democrat was confined in the Capitol overnight after refusing to be shadowed by state police, a requirement for lawmakers who had left the state.

Other Texas Democrats, including from DFW, joined Rep. Nicole Collier after they tore up their “permission slips” to leave the chamber.

Texas Republicans mandated that Democratic lawmakers not be allowed to leave the state house without a permission slip and a police escort.

Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier says she remains locked in the House chamber because she wouldn't sign a permission slip to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety.