A North Texas representative has filed a bill in the Texas Legislature to initiate a study of the options for separation from the United States of America.
Rep. Brian Slaton (R-Royce City) filed House Bill (HB) 3596 on March 6, the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo during the Texas War for Independence in 1836.
The bill would require a referendum vote on November 7, 2023, “on the question of whether this state should reassert its status as an independent nation.”
If the referendum was approved, a Texas Independence Committee would be created “to study and make recommendations regarding the most effective and expeditious method by which Texas may be returned to its status as an independent nation.” The committee’s report would be due on December 31, 2024.
In a press release provided to The Dallas Express, Slaton explained, “The Texas Constitution is clear that all political power resides in the people. 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.”
Continuing, Slaton said, “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. 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 announcement also comes shortly after the anniversary of Texas Independence Day on March 2, as reported by The Dallas Express.
In 1836, Texas separated from Mexico in response to Mexican dictator Santa Anna abolishing the Constitution of the United Mexican States of 1824. At the time, Texans had made repeated appeals to restore the constitutional protections to no avail. They finally chose to declare independence on March 2.
When asked for comment, the Texas Nationalist Movement sent The Dallas Express a statement from its president, Daniel Miller, saying, “The people of Texas will look back on this day as a historic first step in taking back our autonomy and our right to self-determination from the federal government.”
Miller claimed that “66% of likely voters in Texas support this referendum coming up for a vote, and we thank Rep. Slaton for taking heed and giving them the opportunity to make their voice heard at the ballot box.”
“We look forward to working with legislators to get this bill passed and the referendum on the ballot,” he concluded.
Gilberto Hinojosa, the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, told The Dallas Express, “As the party of tyrannical control, Texas Republicans’ new secession plan comes as no surprise — especially considering they have already put forth some of the most anti-democratic, anti-freedom and anti-American bills we’ve seen in decades.”
“The Republican Party of Texas has made it crystal clear that they have one common goal: to control every aspect of Texans’ lives,” Hinojosa continued.
“Republicans’ betrayal of the people of Texas and our country is anything but patriotic — and the future of our state is in danger,” he concluded. “Far-right extremists at the state level in Texas don’t want you to have even the protections offered to you by the federal government — they want total, unadulterated control of your life.”
Since joining the Union in 1845, Texas has, at various times, taken steps to leave the national government. Aside from the failed Confederate States of America during the Civil War, several movements beginning in the 1990s have encouraged separation.