Little-Acorn
Well-Known Member
Yep, Democrats from the legislature in Indiana staged a "me-too" walkout last month, shortly after the one staged by Wisconsin Democrats. But apparently nobody is paying any attention as the Democrat members of Indiana's House sulk in a hotel somewhere in Illinois. It started over similar issues (giving public-employee unions the same status as most states and the Fed govt already have).
But when Republicans started scaling back their union bill as the Democrat minority wanted, the Democrats stayed out and began increasing their demands, frustrating Republican efforts to get things moving again.
Indiana law is different from Wisconsin's. In Wisconsin, a 3/5 majority must form a quorum to pass *budget* bills, but no quorum is necessary to pass non-budget bills.
However, in Indiana, a 2/3 majority must form a quorum to pass ANY bills in the Indiana House, whether budget-related or not. There are 60 Republicans and 40 Democrats elected to this session of the Indiana House, and all 40 Democrats have run away. So the Indiana House has been unable to do ANYTHING for a solid month. And with the House passing nothing, of course the Senate can send nothing to the Governor's desk, and he can sign nothing into law.
What's interesting about the Indiana situation (if anything is), is that the state budget expires after June 30, 2011. If the Democrats remain truant thru that time, the entire state government will come to a halt. Indiana law states that NO money may disbursed without a budget in place... and without the required 2/3 quorum, no budget can be passed at all. Even "continuing resolutions" to keep things going, cannot be passed. State-employed teachers, police, prison guards, firemen etc. will no longer receive paychecks, and neither will state clerks, drivers license agents... or the state legislators themselves.
It remains to be seen what it will take to presuade the elected Democrats to come back and do their jobs. Yielding on the original Union issues, didn't succeed. Will anything?
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704355304576215020786477568.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
GOP Raises Fines In Indiana Battle
by KRIS MAHER And DOUGLAS BELKIN
March 21, 2011, 7:04 P.M. ET.
Indiana House Republicans on Monday ratcheted up pressure on Democratic counterparts who left the state last month, increasing fines on absent lawmakers and moving forward with bipartisan hearings in the Senate on the state's budget bill.
Democrats, holding one of the longest walkouts by a state legislature in U.S. history, left for Illinois on Feb. 22 to protest about a dozen Republican-backed bills. The legislation would eventually cut the pay and jobs of unionized teachers and construction workers, Democrats allege. One right-to-work measure would allow private-sector workers across the state to opt out of unions.
"This is a defense against an oppressive majority," said House Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer at the Comfort Suites in Urbana, Ill., where Democrats have been staying for the past month.
He said Democratic amendments were being ignored and the bills the Republicans were voting on constituted a "radical agenda."
Indiana Republicans say Democrats haven't been clear on conditions to return and are using the walkout to kill off a slate of about 65 bills awaiting a vote in the House. Most importantly, Democrats are holding up action on the state budget.
"This takes quorum-denial tactics to an entirely new level," said Republican House Majority Speaker Brian Bosma.
Indiana law requires that two-thirds of lawmakers be present to vote on legislation. Republicans, who hold a 60-40 majority in the House, need seven Democrats to be present and raised a daily fine of $250 for each absent Democrat to $350 a day, effective Monday.
Democrats said they would return last week, Mr. Bosma said, if a bill allowing nonunion labor on government-funded construction projects was changed. But after Republicans agreed to scale back the bill, Democrats backed off again.
"It became clear there was a different agenda," he said.
(Full text of the article can be read at the above URL)
But when Republicans started scaling back their union bill as the Democrat minority wanted, the Democrats stayed out and began increasing their demands, frustrating Republican efforts to get things moving again.
Indiana law is different from Wisconsin's. In Wisconsin, a 3/5 majority must form a quorum to pass *budget* bills, but no quorum is necessary to pass non-budget bills.
However, in Indiana, a 2/3 majority must form a quorum to pass ANY bills in the Indiana House, whether budget-related or not. There are 60 Republicans and 40 Democrats elected to this session of the Indiana House, and all 40 Democrats have run away. So the Indiana House has been unable to do ANYTHING for a solid month. And with the House passing nothing, of course the Senate can send nothing to the Governor's desk, and he can sign nothing into law.
What's interesting about the Indiana situation (if anything is), is that the state budget expires after June 30, 2011. If the Democrats remain truant thru that time, the entire state government will come to a halt. Indiana law states that NO money may disbursed without a budget in place... and without the required 2/3 quorum, no budget can be passed at all. Even "continuing resolutions" to keep things going, cannot be passed. State-employed teachers, police, prison guards, firemen etc. will no longer receive paychecks, and neither will state clerks, drivers license agents... or the state legislators themselves.
It remains to be seen what it will take to presuade the elected Democrats to come back and do their jobs. Yielding on the original Union issues, didn't succeed. Will anything?
------------------------------------
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704355304576215020786477568.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
GOP Raises Fines In Indiana Battle
by KRIS MAHER And DOUGLAS BELKIN
March 21, 2011, 7:04 P.M. ET.
Indiana House Republicans on Monday ratcheted up pressure on Democratic counterparts who left the state last month, increasing fines on absent lawmakers and moving forward with bipartisan hearings in the Senate on the state's budget bill.
Democrats, holding one of the longest walkouts by a state legislature in U.S. history, left for Illinois on Feb. 22 to protest about a dozen Republican-backed bills. The legislation would eventually cut the pay and jobs of unionized teachers and construction workers, Democrats allege. One right-to-work measure would allow private-sector workers across the state to opt out of unions.
"This is a defense against an oppressive majority," said House Minority Leader B. Patrick Bauer at the Comfort Suites in Urbana, Ill., where Democrats have been staying for the past month.
He said Democratic amendments were being ignored and the bills the Republicans were voting on constituted a "radical agenda."
Indiana Republicans say Democrats haven't been clear on conditions to return and are using the walkout to kill off a slate of about 65 bills awaiting a vote in the House. Most importantly, Democrats are holding up action on the state budget.
"This takes quorum-denial tactics to an entirely new level," said Republican House Majority Speaker Brian Bosma.
Indiana law requires that two-thirds of lawmakers be present to vote on legislation. Republicans, who hold a 60-40 majority in the House, need seven Democrats to be present and raised a daily fine of $250 for each absent Democrat to $350 a day, effective Monday.
Democrats said they would return last week, Mr. Bosma said, if a bill allowing nonunion labor on government-funded construction projects was changed. But after Republicans agreed to scale back the bill, Democrats backed off again.
"It became clear there was a different agenda," he said.
(Full text of the article can be read at the above URL)
