Indiana

Quorum Call

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

I don’t have a lot more to say today about the near month long legislative walkout/standoff at the Indiana House of Representatives so I’ll let the lawmakers do the talking for me.  Speaker Brian Bosma said Wednesday they are looking at “all their options” which could include recall legislation or bringing back the “anti-bolting statute” which was on the books for years which basically fined lawmakers $1000 a day.  According to history, it was that law that kept Democrats from fleeing the state in the late 1860s to avoid ratification of the 14th Amendment.  I’ve embedded a copy of the law and it’s history at the bottom of the post.

Bosma Walkout

And if you listen to this interview with  Democrats Win Moses (Ft. Wayne) and Gail Riecken (Evansville) you’ll hear Moses say that all this will be resolved before the end of April adjournment date.  I kept asking if that meant Democrats would be back eventually?  It’s an interesting verbal dance, to say the least.

Democrats Walkout

This has all boiled down to one issue, union wages on local government projects.   The House will be in at 10 a.m. today and will likely adjourn by 10:20 a.m.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on March 17, 2011 (boomark / email).