Photo: Dan Goldblatt/WFIU News
House Speaker Brian Bosma addresses other legislators in the Indiana statehouse.
The issue of Right to Work legislation dominated the conversation as the Indiana General Assembly officially began its 2012 session Tuesday.
Speaker Brian Bosma did not back down from his pledge that right-to-work legislation will be the key focus of the upcoming session.
“We need to do whatever’s necessary to attract more employers to our state and having the difficult discussions that will result and get us there,” he says.
Last session, House Democrats staged a five-week walkout after a right-to-work bill was brought to the floor. Republicans instituted automatic one thousand dollar fines assessed to any legislators absent without excuse for more than three consecutive days that will be in place for the upcoming session.
House Democratic Leader Pat Bauer says he is not worried about fines.
“We’ re worried about what’s going to happen to the people of this state when they have to do minimum wage jobs to make the rich richer,” he says.
Bauer says House Democrats will decide on any action once right-to-work is officially introduced. The legislature will begin its work in January.
