Missing (WI) Senators To Be Fined $100 A Day

[HereSince1628]

What was that thing about ex post facto laws in the US constitution?

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Missing Senators To Be Fined $100 A Day
Senate Also Authorizes Law Enforcement To Help Get Senators Back
http://www.channel3000.com/news/27053877/detail.html

Posted: 11:50 am CST March 2, 2011Updated: 12:00 pm CST March 2, 2011
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MADISOn, Wis. -- Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate are taking new steps to bring the 14 missing Senate Democrats back to Wisconsin.

They passed a resolution Wednesday morning on a unanimous vote that would charge each senator $100 each day for every day the lawmaker was missing. They would also make the 14 missing senators reimburse the Senate for any cost incurred to bring them back.

The resolution also authorizes the help of any law enforcement officer in the state to bring them back to the Capitol.

The resolution also allows the majority leaders to cease paying expense reimbursements and parking privileges for all staff for the next two years.

The senators left Wisconsin and went to Illinois on Feb. 17 to avoid voting on a budget repair bill that would eliminate collective bargaining for public workers in Wisconsin.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. OK, who's going to form the 503(c) charitable organization to fund raise for the fines?

[sabrina 1]

3. Personally I think it should taken to court and challenged

and dragged out for as long as possible. Is this even Constitutional?

I definitely would not even consider paying fines to a bunch of corrupt, corporate hacks without first dragging them into court and forcing THEM to pay their own costs, whatever they may be.

[nebenaube]

7. Unconstitutional, but that's the way the replicans roll. n/t

[pacalo]

8. +1. Talk about corrupt. Blackmail & extortion can't apply here? Are they above the law?

[sabrina 1]

2. The Authoritarian Bullies are getting desperate, aren't they?

I hope the Democrats just laugh at this desperate attempt to distract from the real issues that each day are becoming more clear to more and more people.

To them, everything is about money. This is further proof of that, nothing more.

[BlueIris]

4. Nice try, Republican Losers.

They're not coming back because of a stupid fine, you collective joke.

[lpbk2713]

5. They were acting on behalf of the people they represent.

Therefore if there is any fine to be assessed it will come out of state funds.
Why don't these dim witted rethuglicans ever think any of this stuff out?

[Blue Owl]

6. In the end, Scott Walker is just going to cost the state MORE money

He's full of shit.

[reformist2]

9. They shouldn't return until at least 3 Repugs have been recalled.

[highplainsdem]

10. One of those Democratic state senators has already said the fines are unconstitutional. Link

to that topic:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x542061

[Davis_X_Machina]

11. Legislatures...

...generally have a broad ability to make and enforce the rules they apply to themselves, and the courts will generally defer to the co-equal branch.

Since this is a resolution, and not a bill, it would appear that it's an internal legislative rule and not statute law they're making/changing.