Texas Senate approves Republican-drawn redistricting maps in 19-2 vote as nine Democrats walk out in protest while House Democrats remain out of state.

Democrats' absence has halted work in the Texas House, which must also approve the new boundaries, for more than a week.

The Texas Senate's packed floor session Tuesday wasn't without its own political drama. Early on, nine of the chamber's Democrats walked out to protest the same Republican-backed plan to redraw the state's congressional districts that prompted the House quorum break earlier this month.