AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas House is still without a quorum. Absent Democrats are back from Washington, but their crusade against a GOP-backed elections bill continues.

The House gaveled in late Monday afternoon. But Democrats say they're still holding out for more negotiations on the voting bill before making a return to the State Capitol. Civil arrest warrants have been delivered to their homes or offices to compel them to come back, but no one has been detained, and Republicans say they likely won't for now.

"I don’t know that they’re gonna get to that level. At this point, it’s more like a jury summons, a paper that’s delivered, and that’ll be another conversation down the line," said. Rep. Jim Murphy, chairman of the Texas House Republican Caucus.

Democrats spent a month in Washington pushing for federal voting legislation. While there has been some movement on it, the measures are still a long shot, particularly in the U.S. Senate. Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, told Capital Tonight there are no plans to return to the State Capitol anytime soon unless the agenda changes.  

“We’re ready to come back to work to address the coronavirus spread. We’re ready to come back to work to ensure a safe back to school and we’re ready to come back to work to fix the broken grid,” he said. “What gets me about the governor is he lights the house on fire and then complains that we’re not showing up with buckets to put it out.”  

Rep. Anchia says the majority of House Democrats are united in their effort to deny a quorum in the Texas House for the foreseeable future.