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Thursday, April 21, 2011

Ind. Gov't. - Still more on: Big day today in the General Assembly

Updating this ILB entry from earlier this morning, here are some quotes from Niki Kelly's story today in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, headed "Anti-boycott proposal raises tensions."

A fracas over a provision aimed at preventing future boycotts by lawmakers shut down work in the Senate on Wednesday night as Democrats in that chamber objected to adding it to budget legislation.

The amendment was the result of House Democrats fleeing the state for 34 days earlier in the session to kill controversial union legislation and mute education reforms.

But the Senate Democrats, offended and emotional, said the punitive nature of the amendment would stop any minority party from breaking a quorum in the future to block legislative business.

They walked out in protest during the vote, saying the nation was founded partly with the objective of protecting minority rights.

“When you push someone so far that there is no hope of anything good happening, it’s just going to cause trouble,” said Sen. Frank Mrvan, D-Hammond.

“We don’t deserve this. I feel insulted. We didn’t walk out. Why do we have to pay the price?”

The Senate Democrats went to caucus after the 36-0 vote on the amendment. Because they only have 13 members, they can’t break a quorum in the Senate. Republicans also went to caucus shortly afterward to discuss the situation. * * *

Senate Democratic Leader Vi Simpson, D-Bloomington, said later that her caucus was especially upset that Republicans cut off debate on the amendment – a move rarely, if ever, used in the Senate.

“This Senate majority is out of control,” she said. “I don’t know who is leading the Senate, but I don’t think the president pro tem is totally in charge these days.”

Long reacted angrily, saying Simpson gave his caucus no choice since her members were trying to filibuster the debate.

“She doesn’t like the fact that we have a conservative caucus,” he said. “She is suggesting that our positions are because a group of young turks have taken over the Senate. That is not true.”

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 21, 2011 11:11 AM
Posted to Indiana Government