House Democrats’ exit from Iowa Capitol unprecedented

[Tim Nunan]

Hopefully this mets the moderator's rules.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/ ... -location/

Iowa House Democrats protested Republican plans to debate two gun measures on Wednesday by leaving the state Capitol and refusing to return. As of 2 p.m., the 40-member Democratic caucus had been gone for about four hours.

The walkout has disrupted nearly a day’s worth of legislative business and garnered national attention likening it to recent protests against Republican priorities by Democrats in Wisconsin and elsewhere.

At issue are bills seeking to broaden Iowa’s “Castle Doctrine” allowing individuals to defend themselves with deadly force and a proposal to write the right to bear arms into the state constitution.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines accused Republican House Leader Linda Upmeyer of failing to properly inform legislators about plans to debate the bills this morning, leaving Democrats without time to draw up and offer changes to them.

“She said they will debate those bills today whether we like it or not,” McCarthy told the Des Moines Register on Wednesday morning, as Democrats were leaving the Capitol. “I told her that we’ve been double crossed, and we will not be debating those bills today.”

He later circulated a scanned copy of the House calendar, on which he said Upmeyer had circled the bills she intended to bring up for debate. The gun measures were not among those circled. (Here is a copy of the calendar.) Republicans hold a 60-to-40 majority in the House, which allows them to set the calendar for debate and largely control the legislative process.

“We have been double-crossed as a caucus, and we’re not going to sit back and be treated with historic misuse of power,” McCarthy said.

But Upmeyer, R-Garner, shot back that Democrats did have adequate warning, and suggested their flight from the Capitol was an attempt to make a political scene.

“Iowans didn’t send us down here just to do easy stuff,” she said. “The Second Amendment is a question that many Iowans would like placed before them. I don’t know why they’re afraid to have a debate on a subject just because they don’t like the subject. That seems ludicrous to me.”

In a statement released after the Democrats exited the Capitol, McCarthy said the Republican leadership told Democrats yesterday the gun legislation would not be considered today. Because they didn’t believe the bill would come up today, he said, Democrats did not file all the amendments they hoped to offer on the bills prior to the deadline set in the House rules.

Upmeyer rejected that argument. The gun bills were noticed in the same manner as any other bill that could come before the House, she said — in a calendar that is updated and circulated to lawmakers every day.

When Democrats asked what the Republicans intended to bring up on Wednesday, Upmeyer said she gave them a list of non-controversial bills, but left consideration of other bills “open-ended.”

“Every member knows that anything that comes out of committee and is placed on the calendar is eligible,” Upmeyer said.

A House spokeswoman added that Democrats had in fact already offered an amendment to one of the gun bills, indicating that they had had ample time to develop proposed changes.

The Democrats’ move to an undisclosed location has disrupted most of the legislative action planned for the day. Republicans had intended to debate 11 bills in addition to the gun bills and hold several committee meetings. None of the debate took place, and all the committee work was delayed.

Shortly after noon, the House held an event commemorating Black History Month featuring a proclamation from Gov. Terry Branstad and several guests, some of whom had traveled from across the state.

The Democrats’ absence led organizers to curtail the event, shortening what was to be an hour-long program featuring singing and dancing to a mere 10-minute reading of the governor’s remarks and proclamation. Two massive sheet cakes brought for lawmakers to commemorate the military service of the Tuskegee Airmen went uneaten in the office behind the House chamber.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Branstad chided Democrats for ducking their responsibilities as lawmakers.

“I don’t think it’s a wise thing to do,” Branstad said. “I’ve been in the minority and I’ve been in the majority in the legislature and I’ve always felt that the best thing to do is to not be afraid to state your position.”

Besides the Black History Month event and a short private caucus meeting, the left-behind Republican lawmakers spent the day lounging at their desks and chatting in small groups on the House floor.

Upmeyer and House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, did attempt to contact McCarthy, but received no response, House spokeswoman Josie Albrecht said.

The Democrats’ exit, Branstad and several longtime lawmakers said, is unprecedented in recent memory. Branstad, who served in the legislature in the 1970s and also was governor from 1983 to 1999, said he could not recall a similar situation in Iowa.

“I think most people think that when you’re elected to serve, you should be there when duty calls,” Branstad.

Longtime lawmaker Stewart Iverson, R-Clarion, said it’s not uncommon for a party caucus to hold an extended private meeting in order to delay consideration of a bill, but that he couldn’t recall lawmakers leaving the Capitol and remain incommunicado as the Democrats did Wednesday.

“It’s a little unusual that they actually left the building, but it’s not unusual to go to caucus and spend several hours there,” Iverson said.

House rules do allow lawmakers to compel absent colleagues to return to the Capitol to debate legislation – including sending law enforcement to retrieve them. That step was not been seriously discussed on Wednesday, Albrecht said.

The walkout generated responses from within and without Iowa in the news and on social media.

In a tweet, Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Sue Dvorsky accused the House Republicans of employing “lousy tactics” and implored House Democrats to “be strong.”

In a subsequent statement, Dvorsky expanded on that point: “The House Republicans have shown time and again that they are unwilling to govern in a manner that gets results and moves Iowa forward,” she said in the statement. “Their abuse of power this morning shows that they are more concerned about breaking the rules in order to push through dangerous bills than work with Democrats to create jobs, grow our economy, and support education in this state.”

A tweet from Rep. Nick Wagner, R-Marion, meanwhile, put the responsibility on the absent Democrats: “Waiting in the chamber for the Dems to come back to the capitol so we can get to work,” he wrote shortly at 11 a.m.

Seizing on a Facebook post, Republicans accused one Democrat of shirking her legislative responsibilities to attend a basketball game.

Rep. Sharon Steckman, D-Mason City, posted on her Facebook page at 7:21 a.m. this morning: “GO MOHAWKS!!!! Looks like I will be able to make the game:)”

The Mason City Mohawks girls basketball team was scheduled to play in the state tournament at 11:45 a.m. today at Wells Fargo Arena, a few blocks from the Capitol.

Chris Rager, a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, described Wednesday’s outcome as “disappointing.” He noted that some Democrats have voiced support for some of the bills.

“I haven’t heard from Rep. McCarthy on it but I know he has supported us on gun legislation in the past,” Rager said. “I’m a little confused that he didn’t keep the caucus here. I would have thought he would have been supportive of this legislation.”

Gun-rights activists from elsewhere were similarly critical. The Bellevue, Wash.,-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms released a statement this afternoon knocking Iowa Democrats.

“Once again, Democrats have painted themselves as the party of gun control by disappearing rather than debating measures to strengthen the firearm civil rights of Iowa citizens,” said Alan Gottlieb, the chairman of the committee.