Photo: Jasont82 (Wikimedia)
Democrats are being docked $1,000 for every unexcused absence the rest of the session.
Democrats filed suit in Marion County Court Wednesday, contending the fines are not being collected legally. A suit is still pending in court over fines issued last session. But Speaker Brian Bosma says he’s comfortable moving forward with fines this year.
“The judge made it clear that he couldn’t interfere with our fining mechanism,” Bosma says. “There was just a question about how the deduction was made and we’re moving forward the same way we did last year. We collected it all last year; we’re going to collect it again this year.”
Minority Leader Pat Bauer says the fines are an impediment to free speech. And he says Democrats won’t be swayed from doing what they think is right.
“Sometimes you have to endure pain to serve the public. We don’t like it, I’ll say that,” Bauer says.
Bosma began handing down $1,000-a-day fines Wednesday and pledged to continue every day Democrats are absent for the rest of session.
