INDIANAPOLIS — Republicans might try to change state law and prevent future Statehouse walkouts by passing anti-bolting or recall bills when Democrats return from their protest in Illinois, House Speaker Brian Bosma said Wednesday.
Bosma, an Indianapolis Republican, said Indiana once had an anti-bolting statute that would automatically invoke a $1,000 daily fine for lawmakers who deny a quorum in the House of Representatives. He said it was repealed in 1976.
“It has worked its way onto the things-to-do list,” Bosma said.
No bills can be passed into law, though, until Republicans find six more Democrats to help them achieve a two-thirds quorum. House Democrats left Indianapolis on Feb. 22 and remain in an Urbana, Ill., hotel, preventing legislation from moving forward for nearly a month. They’re being fined $250 a day while they’re gone.
Republicans again moved back a legislative deadline, this time until March 31, to prevent some bills from dying.
Bosma said he’s looking into the anti-bolting statute, but he said Hoosiers are also asking for a state law creating recall elections to remove legislators from office.
Rep. Dan Stevenson, D-Highland, introduced a bill this year to create a recall election, but it died in committee. He’s one of the Democrats participating in the protest.
“I have a funny feeling they might not be so in favor of those today,” Bosma said.
But Rep. B. Patrick Bauer, the Democrats’ leader, said Republicans could also be subject to recall elections.
“I think that’s another way that they dodge the issues and the solution before us,” Bauer said. “They come up with these distractions.”
He said Democrats remain in Urbana because of concerns over GOP-backed bills dealing with school vouchers and project labor agreements.