Why Texas secession would be as much a logistical nightmare as a romantic fantasy The Texas Constitution Replay Video UP NEXT AUSTIN — The first line of House Bill 1359 could almost serve as the preface to the opening credits of a western movie from a bygone era as the image of a scrappy garrison of patriots gazing over the rugged frontier of the Hill Country fills the screen. Music from a harmonica and an acoustic guitar swells in the background as the words come into view. "An act relating to proposing a referendum to the people of the State of Texas on the question of whether this state should leave the United States of America and establish an independent republic."