Rep. Biedermann Talks Texit In Leander Meeting

[#TexasPolitics365]

Rep. Kyle Biedermann R - Fredericksburg) is on a mission. He is crossing the state pushing his recently filed bill (HB 1359) which, if passed, would put a referendum on the November ballot that would ask voters to start a process of exploring the independence of Texas from the United States. 

He calls it "Texit," short for the exit of Texas, from the Union. (The name is similar to, and likely inspired by, Brexit, the recent exit of Great Britain from the European Union.)

At a public meeting of the Constitutional Club of Williamson County in Leander recently, Biedermann told nearly 80 members and guests that the bill would simply put the question before the people.

"It's not a bill to leave the Union. It's not a secession bill," he said. "This isn't 1865. It's for the legislature to allow the people to vote to allow Texas to become an independent country."

The Republican, who was first elected in 2016,  said questions of how military bases in the state would be allocated and how even the soldiers would feel about serving a new country of Texas would be sorted out with the federal government in negotiations.

He said he did not believe a modern-day secession will end in bloodshed of any kind.

"Nearly 140 countries have become independent since World War II in the world, only a small percentage did so with violence," he said.

He believes it is necessary to act soon to make it happen.

"It is one thing to talk about it; It's another thing to have the Texas Legislature look into whether it's feasible," he said.

Despite some good representation in Congress, he said, "We have no leverage with Washington." That lack of leverage, he said, is why this measure is necessary.

The bill, if it passes the House and the Senate, and is signed by Governor Abbott, would put the question on the ballot. Then if voters approve it, an exploratory process up to two years would determine if secession was even feasible, economically and politically. 

Only then would an actual secession measure be placed on the ballot by the legislature.

He said the state legislature, which meets every other year, would have to be the body tha approves the ballot question. In Texas, there is no constitutional way to place a referendum on the statewide ballot by petition, which often happens in cities and towns.

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