Photo: Dan Goldblatt/WFIU News
House Speaker Brian Bosma is issuing fines on the Democrats for the third day in a row.
Republicans handed down $1,000 fines to absent Democrats for the third straight day Friday, even after a Marion County judge halted the collection of those fines.
A Marion County judge ruled late Thursday that while the House could still assess fines, they could not dock legislators’ pay in order to collect. Minority Leader Pat Bauer says Republicans should not keep fining while the court battle goes on.
“I would think you would respect the judicial process,” he says.
But Speaker Brian Bosma says as long as Democrats remain off the floor, the fines will be assessed.
“The prospect that every county court in the state – and there’s hundreds of them – can file a restraining order, a binding order on the inner workings of the General Assembly, first of all, is not going to be upheld.”
Bosma says Republicans are investigating other methods to collect the fines as the court case continues.
